Ethyl sulphate, a chemically reactive human metabolite of ethanol?

1. Ethanol consumption is known to be linked in varying degrees to numerous ailments including damage to the nervous, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems and the gastrointestinal tract as well as extensive liver injury and several cancerous events. 2. Although acetaldehyde is the presently favoured candidate, both directly and indirectly, for such deleterious outcomes, over the years many other mechanisms and suggestions have been advanced. 3. The sparse literature concerning ethyl sulphate, a recently confirmed human metabolite of ethanol, has been examined, evaluated and interpreted to put forward the new proposition that ethyl sulphate itself may be able to alkylate various biological macromolecules thereby leading to toxicity.