Citation

Schloegl H, Dresen S, Spaczynski K, Stoertzel M, Wurst FM, Weinmann W. Int. J. Legal Med. 2006; 120(2): 83-88.

Affiliation

Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, Albertstrasse 9, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00414-005-0012-7

PMID

16059713

Abstract

The stability of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) under conditions of degradation was examined in urine samples of nine volunteers and in post-mortem tissue (liver, skeletal muscle) and blood taken from seven corpses at autopsies. Analysis was performed via LC-MS/MS. EtG concentrations in urine samples ranged from 2.5 to 296.5 mg/l. When stored at 4 degrees C in airtight test tubes, EtG concentrations remained relatively constant; when stored at room temperature (RT) for 5 weeks in ventilated vials, variations of EtG concentrations ranged from a 30% decrease to an 80% increase, with an average of 37.5% increase. Liver and skeletal muscle tissue of three corpses with positive blood alcohol concentrations (BAC; ranging from 0.106 to 0.183 g%) were stored for 4 weeks and analysed periodically. EtG concentrations decreased 27.7% on average in 4 weeks storage at RT but EtG was still detectable in all samples with initial EtG concentrations higher than 1 mug/g. Blood and liver samples of four corpses with negative BACs were stored at RT after addition of 0.1 g% ethanol, and no new formation of EtG was observed.

Language: en