Re: Chemicals put in alcohol before transport to deter thievery???

Name: Roberta Hagar E-mail: hagar@comnet.ca
Subject: Chemicals put in alcohol before transport to deter thievery???
Message ID Number: 918763667.Ch
You asked, “Quite a few years ago (maybe 15 years) someone told me that 
 
alcohol manufacturers put a certain chemical in tanker trucks  transporting 
 
their product to the bottling plants. Before  bottling, an antidote was 
 
poured into the alcohol to counteract the poisoning to someone from this 
 
chemical. This was done to deter any truck high-jacks of the product.  I 
 
believe this is no  longer done, however I would like to know the chemical 
 
which was used at that time, for this purpose.”  


This has been a difficult question to answer for lack of data about alcohol 
 
for beverages.  

Our Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) doesn’t seem to have 
  
information on what goes into alcoholic beverages.  
 
BATF’s site was of little help: 
  
http://www.atf.treas.gov/core/alcohol/alcohol.htm  
 
Several telephone calls pointed to a Steve Simon (202) 927 -8183, who was 
 
extremely uncooperative.  

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States 

 http://www.discus.health.org/ 
 
(202) 628-3544 is primarily a lobbying organization and their “scientific: 
 
staff has been “away from the phone.” 
 
So the rest of this response is my speculation: 
 
1) This sounds like an “urban legend” although I didn’t find it at: 

	
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm 
 
2) High quality alcoholic beverages have subtle flavor notes.  Quality 
  
distillers closely control the ingredients including the source of 
 
fermentable sugars and the strain of yeast.  Even the source of the wood 
 
(much less the kind of wood) going into aging barrels affects the beverage’s
 
flavor notes.  
  
So, I think adding a poison then its antidote would disturb this delicate 
  
balance of flavors.   

However, it could be possible to mask a poison and it’s antidote with fruit 
 
flavors, herbs, or perhaps cream and sugar. 

3) Distilled beverages are highly regulated.  Brewers, distillers and 
 
companies that produce alcoholic beverages must keep track of the quantity 
 
of both ingredients and the volume and strength of outgoing product (for tax 
 purposes).  When transported, beverage alcohol is shipped under seals 
 
to ensure the volume or strength doesn’t change.  

So, the market for a tank truck of stolen alcohol would be restricted.  
  
However, I guess that anyone going to the trouble of stealing a tank truck 
 
would have an idea as to where to market it.  Moonshine? 

Lastly: What is a poison, that would be effective in a tank of alcohol and
 
easily neutralized before poisoning?  

Consulting with our staff chemists, toxicologists, & my wife (a chemist 
  
with NIH) indicates there ain’t no such thing.  


Therefore, in conclusion, I believe this is an “Urban legend”.  
 
Carl Custer