Health concerns with alcohol stoves?

[pcasebere]

I read this a while back, and just recently found it again: "..is a very poisonous fuel and you should consider the health concerns of this fuel if you decide to use it long term (thru-hikers beware and others may want to avoid storing contaminated stoves in their cook pots or bowls)." For this reason I store stove and fuel separate from cook pot, but was wandering about the vapors given off during the cooking process? Any thoughts?

Oh yes, this was found at http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm in the fuels section, particularly HEET.

[Beachcomber]

Alcohols are much simpler chemically than the long-chain hydrocarbons, benzene, etc., in petroleum-based fuels, and burns more completely. So while you shouldn't inhale the fumes from any sort of combustion, alcohol puts less "stuff" into the air than other liquid fuels.

"Better living through chemistry!"

[leaftye]

Yellow HEET is methanol, and already dangerous. There's really no concern about storing it your pot since whatever little amount of alcohol is left in the stove would quickly evaporate.

Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has 'poisons' put in to make it unsuitable for consumption. The additive may vary depending on the manufacturer.

As for fumes, it's usually so windy that I am looking hard for a way to shield it from the wind. The fumes I could possibly inhale in those conditions are approaching nil.

[Slo-go'en]

You should avoid skin contact as much as possible and you sure the heck don't want to drink any, but once all the alcohol has burnt out of the stove, I see no problem with storing it in my cook pot. Been doing that for years now.

Warning -- life is hazarduos to your health.

[lustreking]

If you're still concerned, use grain alcohol. It's more expensive, but multi-use.

[Sickmont]

If you're still concerned, use grain alcohol. It's more expensive, but multi-use.

Yeah, boy it sure is!

[hikerboy57]

now that I found out cell phones can give you cancer, fuel use is the least of my worries.( Someone once said"When I look back at things in life I worried the most about- none of them ever came to be")

[Snowleopard]

Yellow Heet and denatured alcohols are mixture of ethanol (safe), methanol (poisonous) and denaturing additives (usually poisonous, but not always known how poisonous). There's no testing of these additives for safety under our conditions.

There are a couple of potential dangers:
All alcohol stoves produce significant amounts of Carbon Monoxide, more than most canister stoves or multifuel stoves. The amount is probably safe outdoors. Inside a tent or shelter it might be unhealthy.

Breathing methanol fumes is unhealthy and the higher the methanol content of the fuel the worse it will be. In normal hiker cooking outside, there's probably enough ventilation that it's not a problem.

Breathing fumes from the additives is not a good idea. We don't always know what the additives are or what their health effects are.

Storing the stove in your pots would not be a problem if you were using pure alcohol because the alcohol would evaporate quickly and completely. BUT, I don't know if this would be true of the additives.

The safest approach would be to use high octane Everclear, drinkable ethanol.

Minimize skin contact with the fuels containing methanol (especially fuel that's mostly methanol) or additives.

[doheir]

The other advantage of alcohol over white gas is its solubility in water. If you ever spilled fuel, washing the area down with water would suffice. The same goes for any cook pots that are used to store an alcohol stove. I have bad memories of spilled gas fuel contaminating parts of my pack, and alcohol has been a big improvement.

That said, I favor using denatured alcohol (mostly ethanol) rather than the methanol based fuels (such as HEET) because of the toxicity of the latter.

[Jonnycat]

Breathing methanol fumes is unhealthy and the higher the methanol content of the fuel the worse it will be. In normal hiker cooking outside, there's probably enough ventilation that it's not a problem.

I notice an interesting phenomenon with my alki stove. I would, at times, notice a particular aroma from using it, which did not smell like a "clean" burn. I noticed that this smell went away when I provided more air to the stove by creating little channels underneath my windscreen.

This makes sense, as the additional air provides more oxygen to the combustion process, increasing the temperature of the flame, and also enabling a more efficient use of the fuel.

[Snowleopard]

I notice an interesting phenomenon with my alki stove. I would, at times, notice a particular aroma from using it, which did not smell like a "clean" burn. I noticed that this smell went away when I provided more air to the stove by creating little channels underneath my windscreen.

This makes sense, as the additional air provides more oxygen to the combustion process, increasing the temperature of the flame, and also enabling a more efficient use of the fuel.

There's probably two things going on. With your "unclean" burn, you're smelling partially burned/oxidized fuel, possibly combustion products that are not alcohol. In addition, you're probably getting a lot of odorless carbon monoxide. With more air, you're more fully burning the fuel and getting less carbon monoxide (toxic) and more carbon dioxide (harmless).

[WingedMonkey]

The safest approach would be to use high octane Everclear, drinkable ethanol.

Still not legal to sell in Florida.

[Spokes]

Denatured alcohol has been used for years as fuel in marine stove for years. It's also used to heat chaffing dishes in food service applications.

When was the last time you saw someone pass out in a buffet line due to fumes coming from the Swedish Meatball tray?

[Spokes]

Denatured alcohol has been used for years as fuel in marine stove for years. It's also used to heat chaffing dishes in food service applications.

When was the last time you saw someone pass out in a buffet line due to fumes coming from the Swedish Meatball tray?

[lutefisk]

When was the last time you saw someone pass out in a buffet line due to fumes coming from the Swedish Meatball tray?

Then you haven't tried my Swedish meatballs...

[Jonnycat]

There's probably two things going on. With your "unclean" burn, you're smelling partially burned/oxidized fuel, possibly combustion products that are not alcohol. In addition, you're probably getting a lot of odorless carbon monoxide. With more air, you're more fully burning the fuel and getting less carbon monoxide (toxic) and more carbon dioxide (harmless).

Aye, that was my thought as well. I ended up punching a bunch more holes in my windscreen (reynolds oven liner), so I wouldn't have to rely on digging channels in the dirt everywhere I set up my stove. This worked well, and as an additional bonus, also gave a slight saving in fuel usage.

[Wise Old Owl]

Still not legal to sell in Florida.

Cant buy it in Pennsylvania...


(everclear)

[mweinstone]

useing everclear is dangerous. you will become an alcoholic and marry a woman based solely on her beauty. deep inside, in your alcoholic stove stuper you will know shes not the one. but the everclear will be less than clearing to your clouded mind full of her swanlike breasts and lips of love and her sirens.in your bar years, after shes left you for a real drinker, the only reminder of her softnes will be the popcan stove you still drink from haveing long ago used your shotglass as a headbanger.

[Wise Old Owl]

Ah we agree again Matty... isn't she wonderful.

[Skidsteer]

useing everclear is dangerous. you will become an alcoholic and marry a woman based solely on her beauty. deep inside, in your alcoholic stove stuper you will know shes not the one. but the everclear will be less than clearing to your clouded mind full of her swanlike breasts and lips of love and her sirens.in your bar years, after shes left you for a real drinker, the only reminder of her softnes will be the popcan stove you still drink from haveing long ago used your shotglass as a headbanger.

That explains a large part of my life.