They's jest good 'ol boys, never meanin no harm.
Just duckin' taxes like any red blooded American scofflaw.

In 1952, the Internal Revenue Service consolidated the internal enforcement responsibilities of alcohol and tobacco under one unit, which became known as the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division.

Pursuing illegal liquor operations proved to be hazardous work. From 1934 through the 1960s, 17 investigators were killed and hundreds injured in hostile actions ranging from gunfire, to assault by violators, to high-speed automobile chases.

Moonshiners posed their own set of challenges. These small, independent distillers operated outside syndicate groups and supplied whiskey to primarily local populations. The 1950s Preventative Raw Materials Program allowed agents to arrest moonshiners for possession of large quantities of sugar. A parallel campaign urged merchants to deny bulk sugar supplies to suspicious persons.

Moonshine's poisonous punch is reflected in its nicknames: white lightning, head-buster and popskull. A Georgia ATF agent observed that illicit producers sometimes add manure to make moonshine ferment faster, and we've found dead possums, rats, and vermin floating in mash vats. Moonshine related deaths became a nationwide health issue in the 1960s, prompting a government-funded public service announcement campaign.

One hundred and fifteen suspected moonshine samples seized by local law enforcement between 1995 and 2001 were voluntarily submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' National Laboratory for lead analysis using flameless atomic absorption spectrophometry. Samples originated from 9 states: 5 southeastern states, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Lead levels ranged between 0.0 μg/dL and 53,200 μg/dL (median 44.0 μg/dL). Median percent alcohol by volume was 44.75% (range 3.85-65.80%). Thirty-three samples (28.7%) contained lead levels > 300 μg/dL, the limit designated potentially hazardous by the FDA. Percent alcohol by volume did not predict lead content. Consuming lL/d of moonshine contaminated with 400 μg/dL of lead would result in a blood lead level of approximately 25 μg/dL. At a high level of consumption, 25% of the samples could produce blood lead levels > 25 μg/dL. Moonshine production and consumption is an under-appreciated toxicologic and public health concern and is not restricted to the southeastern US.

    Even exposure to amounts of lead too low to cause symptoms in the short term may increase the risk of high blood pressure and mental decline in the future. Symptoms in adults may include:

    * Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
    * Muscular weakness
    * Headache
    * Abdominal pain
    * Fatigue
    * Irritability
    * Unexplained changes in mood or personality
    * Changes in sleep patterns
    * Inability to concentrate
    * Memory loss
    * Mood disorders