Talk:Acetaldehyde

Off Flavor in Beer

Acetaldehyde is given off by yeast during the fermentation stage of beer production and may remain in the beer if not properly fermented. It's noted for giving a green apple taste and is considered an off flavor in most kinds of beer. Maybe this might be worth including in the article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.164.188.243 (talk) 05:51, 30 January 2017 (UTC)

Gas or liquid?

Acetaldehyde boils at room temperature. Should it be considered as a gas? LeticiaLL (talk) 12:19, 15 August 2020 (UTC)

I am not sure; the typical definition for room temperature is at 25°C at standard pressure. I think in this case in laboratories acetaldehyde is in liquid form; at the least I seem to remember that from chemical laboratory classes. Technically "glass" is liquid too, but most people will consider it a solid. 2A02:8388:1641:8380:F57D:59AE:A2AE:B491 (talk) 15:28, 2 September 2020 (UTC)

It's always a liquid in the chemistry labs I run at the local community college. --Khajidha (talk) 13:48, 10 October 2020 (UTC)

There's a ton of citations to very outdated information.

Especially under the Uses section, a lot of stuff from the early 2010s and 2000s. 38.43.61.80 (talk) 03:17, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

Agreed, and the only reference of Acetaldehyde’s hangover influence is to howstuffworks.com … which doesn’t have any citations itself Minerharry (talk) 19:59, 5 July 2025 (UTC)

Acetaldehyde is a commodity chemical with significant "uses". Most chemicals with similarly simple structures have similarly mature applications. --Smokefoot (talk) 02:42, 6 July 2025 (UTC)

Source/reference for 2nd paragraph.

Does anyone know what the source of information for the 2nd paragraph is? "Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer has listed acetaldehyde as a Group 1 carcinogen, there is insufficient evidence from human studies to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between acetaldehyde exposure and cancer."

Who stated that there was 'insufficient evidence from human studies'? Asaropoda (talk) 05:32, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

The section on potential for carcinogenicity explains the status and gives sources for Europe and the US.

European Commission (p 19-20): "acetaldehyde should be considered a “low potency” carcinogen".

US National Toxicology Program: "The data available from epidemiological studies are inadequate to evaluate the relationship between human cancer and exposure specifically to acetaldehyde."

There is no WP:MEDRS source establishing a cause-and-effect mechanism for acetaldehyde inducing cancer. Zefr (talk) 06:18, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

For perspective and WP:BALANCE, this 2023 NEJM review concluded that the IARC classification of acetaldehyde as a Group I carcinogen depended mainly on avoiding alcohol consumption to possibly reduce oral and esophageal cancer risk. The article points out the epidemiological research gaps, leaving unverified that acetaldehyde is a causative agent in cancer. This supports the statement that there is insufficient evidence from human studies to confirm acetaldehyde specifically as a human carcinogen, consistent with the uncertainty published by most government sources. Zefr (talk) 19:59, 25 August 2026 (UTC)