In tragedies caused by drinking spurious liquor, the active agent causing such tragedies is:

Methyl Alcohol

• In tragedies caused by drinking spurious liquor, the active agent causing such tragedies is Methyl alcohol.
• Methyl alcohol, which is commonly used for antifreeze, can also be added to illicit liquor to increase its alcohol content.
• Methanol is highly toxic to humans, and ingestion of just 10ml can result in blindness, and 30ml or more is usually fatal.
• Drinking just 25-90 mL of methanol can be fatal without proper medical treatment.
• Since methanol is an industrial chemical, it should not be consumed in any quantity, just as people would normally not mix gasoline or other industrial chemicals into legitimate alcoholic beverages.
• Hence, Option 1 is correct.

Amyl alcohol

• Amyl alcohol is used as a solvent and in esterification, by which is produced amyl acetate and other important products.
• Commercial amyl alcohols are colourless liquids, slightly soluble in water, and having a characteristic penetrating odour.

Ethyl alcohol

• Ethyl Alcohol is a clear, colourless liquid with a wine-like odour.
• It is used in alcoholic beverages, as a solvent, and in making other chemicals.
• The only type of alcohol that humans can safely drink is ethanol.
• We use the other two types of alcohol for cleaning and manufacturing, not for making drinks.

Benzyl alcohol

• Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol used in a wide variety of cosmetic formulations as a fragrance component, preservative, solvent, and viscosity-decreasing agent.
• Benzyl alcohol is used as a general solvent for inks, waxes, shellacs, paints, lacquers, and epoxy resin coatings.
• Thus it can be used in paint strippers, especially when combined with compatible viscosity enhancers to encourage the mixture to cling to painted surfaces.