ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies nearly 40 agents whose toxicity is modified by the presence of ethanol. It has long been known that cobalt-fortified beer causes a special form of heart disease in chronic be er drinkers in the United States, Canada, and Belgium. Perhaps the most pervasive agent consumed in substantial quantities that affects that toxicity of dozens of toxic substances is ethanol. Consumption of ethanol has been shown to affect the pharmacokinetics of numerous agents via multiple mechanisms. In an effort to establish a clear test of whether a causal relationship existed, K. R. Mahaffey et al. evaluated the effects of ethanol ingestion on lead toxicity in male albino Sprague-Dawley rats fed isocaloric diets with controlled nutritional content. The biochemical mechanism(s) explaining the interaction likewise remain to be elucidated, but evidence is emerging that suggests that multiple mechanisms, including those affecting tissue distribution, may be involved.
