Does U.S. Law Require Alcohol to Be Radioactive?

As a physicist by training, I have to say: this whole discussion doesn't make sense, or must be taken out of context.

If Professor Richard Muller indeed claims that "drinking alcohol is required to have at least 400 radioactive decays per minute for each 750 ml," that is an overdramatic twist of food standards - in context, that is probably to point out that radioactivity is natural, and that radioactivity is naturally occurring in all of our food and drinks.

And yes, there is also a measurable amount of radioactive decay from Dr. Pepper and Doritos.

Chemically testing of spirits does protect the public from being blinded by kerosene additives to moonshine and also lead poisoning.

Does anyone, anywhere in the world, produce for public consumption beverages or food-stuffs directly derived from petroleum or other fossil fuels? Is it even economically feasible?

Curiously, the linked Snopes article also quotes an internal 1957 ATF inquiry that states: "It is our opinion that most of the distilled spirits used in the production of vinegar are derived from natural gas and petroleum."

Really? All of the vinegars (Balsalmic vinegar, white vinegar, apple vinegar, the vinegars used to dye our Easter eggs...) in my household are derived from natural fermentation processes.

I concede that if a technician is engaged in cleaning or preparing sensitive lab equipment and samples for carbon-14 or other radiological analysis, that technician would avoid introducing extraneous carbon-14 in that cleaning or preparation process - which might involve using natural vinegar or an ascetic acid derived from natural vinegar.

Note also that the primary consumption of petroleum products in most households is gasoline, which in the US today normally contains 10% ethanol, largely derived from corn-fueled ethanol production plants; our cars are spewing exhaust laced with a measurable amount of carbon-14.

Be sober like me! My pleasure is Doritos and Dr. Pepper. I can eat and drink this stuff and still have a BAC of zero and max the p.t. test 2 hours later. I can't do that after a 6 pack of beer! F Alcohol. Alcoholism killed my sister (suicide) and President Trump' s brother at age 42.