The toxicity of 1-Butanol

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1-Butanol is readily absorbed through the intestinal tract and lungs, and also to some extent through the skin. It is metabolized completely in vertebrates in a manner similar to ethanol: alcohol dehydrogenase coverts 1-Butanol to butyraldehyde; this is then converted to butyric acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase. Butyric acid can be fully metabolized to carbon dioxide and water by the β-oxidation pathway, of which it is naturally the penultimate step. In the rat, only 0.03% of an oral dose of 2000 mg/kg was excreted in the urine.
The acute toxicity of 1-Butanol is relatively low, with oral LD₅₀ values of 2290–4360 mg/kg (rat; comparable values for ethanol are 7000–15000 mg/kg). No deaths were reported at an inhaled concentration of 8000 ppm (4-hour exposure, rats). At sub-lethal doses, 1-Butanol acts as a depressant of the central nervous system, similar to ethanol: one study in rats indicated that the intoxicating potency of 1-Butanol is some six times higher than that of ethanol, possibly because of its slower transformation by alcohol dehydrogenase.
1-Butanol is a natural component of many alcoholic beverages, albeit in low (but variable) concentrations. It (along with similar fusel alcohols) is reputed to be responsible for severe "hangovers", although experiments in animal models show no evidence for this. 1-Butanol has occasionally been abused by alcoholics, leading to a range of adverse health effects.
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