Is drinking absinthe containing thujone harmful?
Modern commercially produced absinthe has been shown to contain a safe level of thujone. In order to comply with European Union (EU) limits, the thujone levels in commercially distilled absinthe must be10mg/l or less. The thujone levels in commercially distilled absinthe in Germany must be 30mg/l or less. As an example: before you could consume a toxic amount of thujone from drinking commercial absinthe, you would have been suffering from alcohol poisoning. Modern analysis supports the theory that poor manufacturing processes, and adulterants such as antimony trichloride and cupric acetate, present in cheaper varieties of absinthe produced at the turn of century, of being a higher suspect for acute effects such as restlessness, vomiting, vertigo, muscular disorders, and convulsions. Besides poor manufacturing processes, many of the studies and claims surrounding absinthism are questionable to begin with.
