International Commission for Protection against Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens. ICPEMC Working Paper No. 15/1. Genetic effects of ethanol.

Alcoholics have a higher frequency of chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in their peripheral lymphocytes. In human and mammalian cells in vitro, ethanol generally does not induce genetic damage, but it induces SCEs in the presence of an exogenous metabolic system. In human lymphocytes in vitro, ethanol induces SCEs in the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase. In animals in vivo, ethanol induces a variety of genetic effects, including SCEs, micronuclei, dominant lethal mutations and aneuploidy in mouse eggs. There is some indication that ethanol may lead to genetic damage in sperm. In bacteria, ethanol is at best marginally active. Ethanol leads to anomalous chromosome segregation in Aspergillus, to mutations in yeast, to chromosomal aberrations and SCEs in plant root tips and to disturbances of meiosis and micronuclei in tetrads in Zea and Tradescantia respectively. The first metabolite of ethanol, acetaldehyde is mutagenic in a variety of test systems. The mutagenic activity of acetaldehyde in bacteria is questionable, but there is no doubt of its mutagenic activity in a variety of eukaryotic test systems in vitro as well as in vivo.