Alcohol is mutagenic, cancerogenic and teratogenic in man. Ethanol is mutagenic via its first
metabolite, acetaldehyde. This is substantiated by the findings that acetaldehyde induces
chromosomal aberrations, sister-chromatid exchanges and cross-links between DNA
strands. Methanol, a contaminant of many alcoholic beverages, is also mutagenic via its
metabolite, formaldehyde. In addition, different indirect pathways may lead to mutations by
alcohol. The cancerogenic activity of alcohol remains unverified by modern standard …