Citation

Skopp G, Dettling A, Potsch L, Schmitt G, Haffner HT. Blutalkohol 2003; 40(4): 287-293.

Affiliation

Skopp, G., Inst. fur Rechtsmed./Verkehrsmedizin, Universitat Heidelberg, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Due to a change in European legislation, absinthe is now, once again available in all European countries and is turning into a fashionable drink. The ethanol concentration of absinthe varies from 30 to 85% by volume. In order to examine cases when the driver claims to have drunken absinthe after the incident the spectrum of alcohol congeners were investigated in 56 different brands of absinthe distillates. Seven samples contained exclusively ethanol whereas the others contained at least methanol as a congener. Merely 10 absinthe samples contained further congeners. Iso-butanol could be detected in all 10 of these, 1-Propanol and 2-methyl-butanol-1 were detected in 7 samples. 8 samples were tested positive for 3-methyl-butanol-1. Butanol-2 could not be detected in any of the samples while butanol-1 was found in an absinthe sample of Czech origin. In 4 cases 5 congeners could be detected. Congener profile seemed highly variable. Therefore detailed information on the absinthe brand for comparison is absolutely essential for forensic assessment.