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Methanol is a simple alcohol, in fact, it is the simplest out of all the alcohols. Methanol has a sweet, mild but harsh, somewhat chemical, alcoholic odour.

It is a very versatile solvent that evaporates quickly due to its chemical properties, and it's useful in the production of many useful plastics, windshield/windscreen washer fluids for cars and other vehicles, also for producing effective cleaning products, and even in the production of pharmaceuticals, with the methanol being removed from the final product.

It is also highly flammable, and it has a low boiling point of around 65°Celsius, making it useful as a fuel additive or a racing fuel in itself, although it can be corrosive, which has its pros and cons.

Methanol has a similar taste to regular food-grade alcohol called "ethanol", but while methanol may seem benign, it is actually a highly toxic substance.

The reason why methanol is toxic to humans and even animals is due to its metabolic breakdown.

Methanol itself initially is very low in toxicity to humans, but when it's ingested, the human liver metabolises in it the same way as it would metabolise normal drinking alcohol, but in an attempt to break down the methanol, the liver accidentally converts the methanol into chemicals that would poison the body and can easily cause vision loss and severe organ damage, resulting in permanent blindness, and potentially even have a fatal outcome.

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