Criminal Minds2005

Dr. Spencer Reid:
Methanol is compositionally speaking, the simplest of the alcohols. It's actually ubiquitous in the environment. There are small traces of its vapor in the atmosphere, but atmospheric methanol is easily oxidized by sunlight.

Emily Prentiss:
Is it toxic?

Dr. Spencer Reid:
Ingesting ten milliliters of it will cause permanent blindness, and as little as 30 is potentially fatal.

Derek Morgan:
Well, these victims had between five and six ounces in their lungs.

Dr. Spencer Reid:
You know, if they were immersed in it, they would have died even without ingesting or inhaling it. When absorbed through the skin, it depresses the central nervous system to an unsustainable degree.

Derek Morgan:
Well, what's it used for?

Dr. Spencer Reid:
What isn't it used for? A solvent, an antifreeze. In World War II, the Germans used it for rocket fuel. It's used in wine-making. Its most commonplace use however, is in the creation of other chemicals. Methanol can become plastic, plywood, paint, explosives, permanent-press textiles. It's essentially the chemical used to separate other chemicals from each other.