Toxicity Assessment of Thujone in Vintage Pre-Ban Absinthe
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ABSTRACT:
The toxicity assessment, in particular regarding the thujone content, of absinthe manufactured in the so-called ‘pre-ban’ era (the period of time that ranges from approximately 1805 until the banning of absinthe in France, in 1914) is a matter of debate, a debate that has been bedeviled by the uncritical repetition of figures derived from theoretical calculations from secondary sources, not actual chemical analysis of samples from the era. The current study was conducted with the intention of experimentally proving or disproving such theoretical calculations by analyzing an authentic collective of pre-ban absinthes for thujone; the first time such a wide ranging analysis of absinthe from the pre-ban era has been attempted. In addition, the samples were analyzed for other parameters that were hypothesized as contributing to the toxicity of pre-ban absinthe, including both naturally occurring herbal essences (e.g. pinocamphone, fenchone), methanol, higher alcohols, copper, and antimony.
The total thujone content of thirteen pre-ban absinthes (see Fig. 1), analyzed using GC/MS, was found to range between 0.5 and 48.3 mg/l, with an average concentration of 25.4 ± 20.3 mg/l, and a median concentration of 33.3 mg/l. The authors conclude that the thujone concentration of pre-ban absinthe was generally overestimated in the past. The analysis of post-ban (1915-1988) and modern commercial absinthes (2003-2006) showed that the encompassed thujone ranges of all absinthes are quite similar, disproving the supposition that a fundamental difference exists between pre-ban and modern absinthes manufactured according to historical recipes. Analyses of pinocamphone, fenchone, base spirits, copper and antimony were inconspicuous. All things considered, nothing besides ethanol was found in the absinthes able to explain the so-called syndrome ‘absinthism’.
The prevalence of the twin myths that pre-ban absinthe generally contained thujone levels in the 260 mg/l range, and that thujone, in the quantities actually found in absinthe is either psychotropic, or harmful in nature, is hard to explain with reference to the available scientific research in the modern era. Today it seems a substantial minority of consumers want these myths to be true, even if there is no empirical evidence that they are. These consumers seem to feel that absinthe, in view of its fabled and exotic reputation, ought to be dangerous, even in the absence of evidence that it is. It is to be hoped that this paper will go some way to refuting at least the first of these myths, by conclusively demonstrating that the median thujone content of a representative selection of pre-ban absinthes, including many of the largest and most popular brands, fell within the modern EU limit of 35 mg/l.
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