Alcohol
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What do Drug Toxicologists do?
Detect and identify the presence of drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs
Drugs can be either . . .
Illegal, legal, or pharmaceutical
Where do drug toxicologists work?
Health facilities such as hospitals and clinics as well as crime labs
The role of the toxicologist?
First attempt to narrow down type of toxic substance based on victim’s symptoms, postmortem pathological exam, exam of victim’s personal effects, nearby presence of empty drug containers or household chemicals Next, they use general screening procedures Test for small quantities that may be remaining Must be aware that the body always processes substances so test for the metabolite Must also assess for substance’s toxicity
What is the most frequently requested test?
Presence of alcohol
Why must drug toxicologists test for the metabolite?
Few substances enter and completely leave the body in the same chemical state since most are metabolized
What is the most widely abused drug in western countries?
Alcohol
Most of the worst effects of alcohol are not due to the alcohol, but from what?
psychomotor impairment
Due to the prevalence of abuse, laws have been instituted to regulate alcohol abuse, such as . . . ?
Driving while under the influence– intoxication
The degree of intoxication can be influenced by what factors?
Body weight Rate of absorption through stomach and small intestines directly into the blood stream (influenced by presence/absence of food) Total time taken to consume the alcohol Type of alcohol consumed– diluted/undiluted The longer total time required for complete absorption, the lower will be the peak alcohol concentration
Alcohol and the law
A BAC of .08% or .10% in most states in equivalent to intoxication for most drivers
What is the Federal standard for bus and truck operators?
.04%
When is BAC the highest?
An hour after consumption
What does “DUI” stand for?
Driving Under the Influence
Why are legislative limits for DUI different?
Depends on country and jurisdiction
What must be available to accurately determine BAC at time of arrest
Uniform testing
What happens when comparing testing vs. time of arrest?
Allowable level of analytical inaccuracy • Usually between 0.2g/L (g of alcohol per L of blood)
Generally, blood alcohol level drops how many mg/dL per hour?
15 to 20 mg/dL per hour
How many hours would a person with a BAL of 120 mg/dL (1.2 g/L) take to reach a negligible level?
6 to 8 hours
Driving laws
implied consent comes with obtaining a license to operate a motor vehicle
Driver has a choice:
Submit to test Subject to loss of license for a given period of time
Legalizing alcohol
Methods had to be developed to assess levels of intoxication at the time of arrest These had to be reliable to withstand court presentation They also needed to be standardized throughout jurisdictions
Most commonly encountered in terms of DUI
Ethanol
Methanol
Highly toxic Mainly wood grain alcohols May cause blindness