Blood alcohol concentrations in apprehended drivers of cars and boats suspected to be impaired by the police

Characterization of alcohol levels in autopsies carried out by Forensic Medicine (Honduras) during December 2022 and January 2023

To determine the existing relationship between ethanol levels in biological fluids, such as blood and urine, and their correlation with causes of death in corpses admitted to the forensic medicine autopsy service in Honduras. The gas chromatography method was employed to determine the concentration of ethyl alcohol. After a statistical analysis using measures of central tendency, it was found that the urine sample presented a median of 227.30mg/dL, while in the blood, it was 276.86mg/dL. After some distribution tests and correlation, it was determined that higher alcohol concentrations influence the "ACCIDENTAL" cause of death, with values of median alcohol concentration of 228.56mg/dL in blood and 277.44 mg/dL in urine. Still, the most frequent cause of death was "HOMICIDE", which differs in the age of the subjects and their ethanol concentration, with values of median alcohol concentration of 227.20mg/dL in blood and 276.86mg/dL in urine; similarities of median indicates that both samples are related or share a standard feature. Subsequent statistical tests showed that blood concentration values are more representative than urine values since the latter represents the final metabolic stage of alcohol in the body and exhibits more excellent dispersion. The average age of the individuals analyzed was 33 years old. However, it should be noted that individuals involved in "ACCIDENTAL" causes of death were in the lower age range corresponding to the so-called young adults. Keywords: Forensic sciences; blood alcohol concentration; autopsy; alcohol in urine

Comparison of breath-alcohol screening test results with venous blood alcohol concentration in suspected drunken drivers

Hand-held electronic breath-alcohol analyzers are widely used by police authorities in their efforts to detect drunken drivers and to improve road-traffic safety. Over a three month period, the results of roadside breath-alcohol tests of drivers apprehended in Finland were compared with venous blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The mean (median) time between sampling blood and breath was 0.71h (0.58h) with a range from 0 to 6h. Some hand-held instruments gave results as the concentration of alcohol in breath and were converted into BAC assuming a blood-breath alcohol ratio (BBR) of 2260. The mean venous BAC (1.82g/kg) in traffic offenders was higher than the result predicted by the hand-held breath analyzers (1.72g/kg). In 1875 roadside tests, the relationship between venous BAC (x) and BrAC (y) was defined by the regression equation y=0.18+0.85x. The coefficients show both a constant bias (y-intercept 0.18g/kg) and a proportional bias (slope=0.85). The residual standard deviation (SD), an indicator of random variation, was ±0.40g/kg. After BAC results were corrected for the time elapsed between sampling blood and breath, the y-intercept decreased to 0.10g/kg and 0.004g/kg, respectively, when low (0.1g/kg/h) and high (0.25g/kg/h) rates of alcohol elimination were used. The proportional bias of 0.85 shows that the breath-alcohol test result reads lower than the actual BAC by 15% on average. This suggests that the BBR of 2260 used for calibration should be increased by about 15% to give closer agreement between BAC and BrAC. Because of the large random variation (SD±0.40g/kg), there is considerable uncertainty if and when results from the roadside screening test are used to estimate venous BAC. The roadside breath-alcohol screening instruments worked well for the purpose of selecting drivers above the statutory limit of 0.50g/kg.

Characteristics of 1226 alcohol-positive drivers involved in nonfatal traffic crashes in Shanghai, China

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study was to better characterize and evaluate drunk driving for governmental reference in order to further reduce alcohol-impaired driving.

METHOD

This article reports the characteristics of 1226 alcohol-positive drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or over the legal limit of 0.20 mg/mL involved in nonfatal traffic accidents in Shanghai, China, from 2008 to 2011. The mean BAC, age, and gender of these drivers are discussed as well as the vehicle types and times of day when the crashes occurred.

RESULTS

The mean BAC was 1.41 mg/mL and the mean age was 38 years old, and the vast majority of drivers were male (96.9%). The mean BAC of male drivers (1.42 mg/mL) was higher than that of female drivers (1.20 mg/mL). The mean age of male drivers (38) was also higher than that of female drivers (33). Distributions of vehicle types involved were studied. Cars had the highest percentage of occurrences (56.4%), followed by motorcycles (32.8%), electric bicycles (6.8%), trucks (1.5%), and bicycles (0.8%). It was found that these alcohol-related traffic crashes most often occurred between 7:00 p.m. and 10:59 p.m., representing 48.1 percent (n = 590) of the 1226 cases. Single-vehicle crashes were overrepresented (70.3%) in all cases. The mean BAC in multivehicle crashes (1.69 mg/mL) was higher than that in single-vehicle crashes (1.30 mg/mL).

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated a notable need for more governmental attention that would prevent accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol.

What non-alcohol drugs are used by drinking drivers in Sweden? Toxicological results from ten years of forensic blood samples

INTRODUCTION AND METHOD

Using a forensic toxicology database (TOXBASE), the toxicological results from 10 years of forensic blood samples from people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs were reviewed.

RESULTS

Alcohol was the only drug identified in blood in N=35,704 cases at a median blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 1.63 mg/g. The mean age (±SD) of these offenders was 40±15years and 89% were male. The median BAC was lower (1.30 mg/g) in drivers who had consumed alcohol and used a prescription drug before driving (N=1,251). The mean age of this group of traffic offenders was 38±13years and 85% were male. Both the median BAC (0.97 mg/g) and the mean age were lowest (36±11years, 92% male) in N=3,153 drivers who had consumed alcohol and used illicit drugs before driving. Cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine and morphine (metabolite of heroin) were the commonest illicit drugs identified in blood samples. Sedative-hypnotics (benzodiazepines) were the major prescription drugs co-ingested with alcohol. Poly-drug use was a common finding in these traffic delinquents, although individuals who only drank alcohol had a higher median BAC and were also several years older than drinking drivers combining alcohol with other drugs before driving.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

Zero-tolerance legislation did not deter hard-core offenders. In future there should be more focus on treatment for alcohol and substance abuse disorder rather than conventional punishments for this type of traffic crime.

Validation of sobriety tests for the marine environment

The objective of this project was to develop sobriety tests that can be administered in the seated position to assist water patrol officers in detecting alcohol-related impairment in boaters. Four seated sobriety tests were administered to 330 boaters to determine the tests' usefulness in classifying boaters as having blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) below the illegal limit (BAC<.08%) or above the illegal limit (BAC ≥ .08%). Data were obtained by a team of four marine officers and two civilian observers on Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. The overall correct percentages, sensitivity, and specificity of the tests were consistent with what is typically reported in literature on the roadside sobriety tests. The tests' reliability was also consistent with what is typically reported in literature on the roadside sobriety tests. Thus, the four tests may assist marine officers with assessments of alcohol-related impairment in boaters.

Alcohol- and alcohol antagonist-sensitive human GABAA receptors: tracking δ subunit incorporation into functional receptors

GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) have long been a focus as targets for alcohol actions. Recent work suggests that tonic GABAergic inhibition mediated by extrasynaptic δ subunit-containing GABA(A)Rs is uniquely sensitive to ethanol and enhanced at concentrations relevant for human alcohol consumption. Ethanol enhancement of recombinant α4β3δ receptors is blocked by the behavioral alcohol antagonist 8-azido-5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H-imidazo[1,5-a][1,4]benzodiazepine-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (Ro15-4513), suggesting that EtOH/Ro15-4513-sensitive receptors mediate important behavioral alcohol actions. Here we confirm alcohol/alcohol antagonist sensitivity of α4β3δ receptors using human clones expressed in a human cell line and test the hypothesis that discrepant findings concerning the high alcohol sensitivity of these receptors are due to difficulties incorporating δ subunits into functional receptors. To track δ subunit incorporation, we used a functional tag, a single amino acid change (H68A) in a benzodiazepine binding residue in which a histidine in the δ subunit is replaced by an alanine residue found at the homologous position in γ subunits. We demonstrate that the δH68A substitution confers diazepam sensitivity to otherwise diazepam-insensitive α4β3δ receptors. The extent of enhancement of α4β3δH68A receptors by 1 μM diazepam, 30 mM EtOH, and 1 μM β-carboline-3-carboxy ethyl ester (but not 1 μM Zn(2+) block) is correlated in individual recordings, suggesting that δ subunit incorporation into recombinant GABA(A)Rs varies from cell to cell and that this variation accounts for the variable pharmacological profile. These data are consistent with the notion that δ subunit-incorporation is often incomplete in recombinant systems yet is necessary for high ethanol sensitivity, one of the features of native δ subunit-containing GABA(A)Rs.

Age and gender differences in blood-alcohol concentration in apprehended drivers in relation to the amounts of alcohol consumed

This article reports the age, gender, and blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of people apprehended in Sweden for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA) over an 8-year period (2000-2007). Duplicate determinations of ethanol were made in venous blood by headspace gas chromatography and results were reported positive at a cut-off concentration of 0.1 g/L (10 mg/100 ml or 0.01 g%). The mean, median and highest BAC was 1.74 g/L, 1.70 g/L and 5.18 g/L, respectively. The vast majority of offenders were men (89.5%) with a mean age of 39.0+/-14.6 y (+/-SD). The women (10.5%) were a few years older 41.8+/-13.6 y (p<0.001). The mean BAC in the men (1.73+/-0.85 g/L) did not differ significantly (p>0.05) from women (1.77+/-0.87 g/L). The youngest offenders aged 15-20 y (N=3513) had a mean BAC of 1.30+/-0.60 g/L (median 1.32), which was significantly less (p<0.001) than people aged 40-50 y (N=6644); mean 1.90 g/L (median 2.0 g/L). In 95 individuals (89 men and 6 women) the BAC exceeded 4.0 g/L, which is a level considered to cause death by acute alcohol poisoning. The Widmark formula was used to calculate that a man (80 kg) with a BAC of 1.7 g/L has 95 g ethanol (approximately 12 units of alcohol) in the body compared with 61 g (approximately 8 units) for a woman (60 kg). This study verifies that the average drunken driver in Sweden is typically a binge drinker and education programs and treatment for alcohol-use disorder might be a more appropriate sanction than the more conventional penalties for alcohol-impaired driving.