[FelixA]

Thanks for calming me down

I was reading related stuff online, and came across a story of a painter who spilled methanol on his pants, did not wash them, continued to wear them, and developed blindness only days after the incident.

That got me thinking - I spilled washer fluid on my pants and did not wash them either, and have been wearing them after the incident. However, shouldn't methanol evaporate quickly? I mean, is the painter story even plausible (though it was mentioned in a scientific article)?

[Corribus]

It sounds far fetched to me. 10 mL of pure methanol can be harmful if ingested. That doesn't necessarily translate into dermal exposure, but even assuming it did, how much would you have to spill on your clothes in order for 10 mL to penetrate your skin in a short enough amount of time to cause a toxic effect? I'm guessing a lot. 

I suppose we could research the permeability of skin to methanol to get an a better indication of whether this is possible.