Citation

Jones AW. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1981; 1981: 550-569.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Ethanol concentrations in near simultaneous samples of capillary blood, end-expired breath, mixed whole saliva and urine were determined at 30-60 minute intervals after 48 healthy men drank 0.53, 0.70 or 0.88 g/kg ethanol as neat whisky after an overnight fast. The ratios of blood alcohol concentration to the breath, saliva and urine concentrations were calculated at each sampling time point and inherent biological variations assessed during absorption, distribution and elimination phases of ethanol metabolism. The blood/breath alcohol ratios were less than the commonly accepted 2100:1 during alcohol absorption and greater than 2100:1 during alcohol elimination. Moreover, the volume of breath expired, the temperature of breath, the breathing pattern of the test subject and the temperature and humidity of ambient air are important variables and need to be controlled for quantitative results. The urine/blood alcohol ratios varied over a wide range, being less than unity for absorption of alcohol and increasing to exceed a value of 2.0 late into the post-absorptive phase. The saliva/blood alcohol ratios showed no systematic variations according to the phase of ethanol metabolism. The mean ratio for samples taken between 60-360 minutes after drinking was 1.096 (n=166) with 95% confidence limits of 1.087 and 1.105. These results will be discussed and interpreted in relation to the known physiological processes governing alcohol uptake in breath, saliva and urine in-vivo. Practical applications of the findings in experimental alcohol research and in medico-legal investigations of alcohol related traffic violations will be highlighted. (TRRL)