Citation

Jones AW. Blutalkohol 1978; 15(2): 89-94.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In a controlled laboratory study, the alcohol concentration in capillary blood samples was determined at 30-60 minute intervals after a dose of 0.72 g alcohol per kg as neat whisky which was consumed within 20 minutes. The results were compared with the estimated blood alcohol concentrations from breath analyses using an instrument based on electrochemical oxidation of alcohol, an Alco-Limiter. The standard deviation of ethanol determination in expired breath using this instrument was (plus or minus) 5.25 mg per 100 ml at a mean alcohol concentration of 51.0 mg per 100 ml. The precision of the blood alcohol estimate from the breath was (plus or minus) 6.22 mg per 100 ml, corresponding to 95% confidence limits of (plus or minus) 13 mg per 100 ml. The estimated blood alcohol concentrations from breath analyses were found to be systematically low, the mean difference was -4.3 mg per 100 ml (p lt 0.01).