CDC article on contaminated pruno

" During October 2–4 2011, eight maximum security inmates at the Utah State Prison in Salt Lake County were diagnosed with foodborne botulism. An investigation by Salt Lake Valley Heath Department, Utah Department of Health, and CDC identified pruno, an illicit alcoholic brew, as the vehicle. The principal ingredients in pruno are fruit, sugar, and water. Many additional ingredients, including root vegetables, are sometimes added, depending on the availability of foods in prison. A baked potato saved from a meal served weeks earlier and added to the pruno was the suspected source of C. botulinum spores. Many of the affected inmates suffered severe morbidity, and some required prolonged hospitalizations."

Home-brew ethanol might be a staple tradegood in a teotwawki scenario-easy to make, widely sought, easy to make. Pruno is not distilled, so organisms aren't killed by heat treatment. Never thought of home brew as a possible botulism source.

An interesting thing worth noting about Botulism. While boiling kills the Botulism toxin, it does not kill the Botulism spores. Therefore, even foods that have been boiled can still cause Botulism if left to sit for enough time in the right conditions.

This is why home canning is done with a pressure cooker. It allows the boiling temperature to go from a typical 212*F or lower (depending on elevation) to over 250*F. Thereby, killing both the toxin and the spores.