Ethanol blood alcohol level

Ethanol (EtOH, alcohol ) naturally occurs in fruit in small quantities. Alcoholic drinks contain much higher concentrations. Their alcohol content is usually given as percent by volume. To estimate alcohol uptake and the blood alcohol level, it is useful to convert the amount to grams of ethanol (density 0.79 kg L ). For example, a bottle of beer (0.5 L at 4% v/v alcohol) contains 20 mb = 16 g of ethanol, while a bottle of wine (0.7 L at 12% v/v alcohol) contains 84 ml = 66 g ethanol. 

Ethanol is membrane-permeable and is quickly resorbed. The maximum blood level is already reached within 60-90 min after drinking. The resorption rate depends on various conditions, however. An empty stomach, a warm drink (e.g., mulled wine), and the presence of sugar and carbonic acid (e.g., in champagne) promote ethanol resorption, whereas a heavy meal reduces it. Ethanol is rapidly distributed throughout the body. A large amount is taken up by the muscles and brain, but comparatively little by adipose tissue and bones. Roughly 70% of the body is accessible to alcohol. Complete resorption of the ethanol contained in one bottle of beer (16 g) by a person weighing 70 kg (distribution in 70 kg 70/100 = 49 kg) leads to a blood alcohol level of 0.33 per thousand (7.2 mM). The lethal concentration of alcohol is approximately 3.5 per thousand (76 mM). 

ADH activity and to enhance the bioavailability of ethanol, with a resulting increase in blood ethanol levels. This exaggeration by certain drugs is particularly important for social drinkers, who commonly take several small drinks, but experience a cumulative effect on blood alcohol levels. 

DiPadova C, Roine R, Frezza M, Gentry RT, Baraona E, Lieber CS. Effects of ranitidine on blood alcohol levels after ethanol ingestion. Comparison with other H2-receptor antagonists. JAMA 1992 267 83-6. Erratum in JAMA 1992 268 2652. 

Caballeria, J. First-pass metabolism of ethanol its role as determinant of blood alcohol levels after drinking. Hepato-Gastroenterol. 1992 39 62-66... 

A more down-to-Earth use of fuel cells is found in traffic-law enforcement. Police officers need quick and simple ways to determine a person s blood alcohol level in the field. In the time it takes to bring a person to the station or to a hospital for a blood or urine test, the person s blood alcohol content (BAG) might change. Fuel cells, such as the one in the device shown above, provide a quick and accurate way to measure BAG from a breath sample. The alcohol ethanol from the person s breath is oxidized to acetic acid at the anode. At the cathode, gaseous oxygen is reduced and combined with hydronium ions (released from the anode) to form water. The reactions generate an electric current. The size of this current is related to the BAG. 

Mild ethanol intoxication is observed at blood alcohol levels in the range of 0.05-0.15%. Symptoms of exposure include impairment of visual acuity, muscular incoordination, decreased reaction time, and changes in mood, personality, or behavior. At blood alcohol levels of 0.15-0.3%, visual impairment, sensory loss, muscle incoordination, slowed reaction time, and slurred speech is observed. At levels of 0.3-0.5% blood alcohol, there is severe intoxication characterized by muscular incoordination, blurred or double vision, and sometimes stupor, hypothermia, vomiting, nausea, and occasionally, hypoglycemia and convulsions. At 0.4% and above, symptoms include coma, depressed reflexes, respiratory depression, hypertension, hypothermia, and possibly death from respiratory or... 

Another complicating factor in the interpretation of postmortem toxicology results is the phenomenon known as postmortem production. This phenomenon is most applicable to blood alcohol levels after a fatality has occurred. Postmortem production can account for measurable blood ethanol levels after a fatality that may have no connection to prior exposure to alcohol. Postmortem ethanol production can result from a number of sources that include the existence of large numbers of appropriate microorganisms in improperly preserved bodies, or from bodies that suffered severe trauma at death. In any case, the forensic toxicologist attempting to offer an interpretation of these results should carefully consider these facts. 

Alcohol determinations at the roadside or at home are typically done with a breath analyzer or breathalyzer. Because of rapid gas exchange and the vapor pressure of ethanol, the concentration exhaled is directly related to the blood alcohol concentration. The blood alcohol concentration is widely used as a criterion for determining whether a person is under the influence of alcohol. Many states have ruled that a blood alcohol level of 0.1% or greater indicates intoxication. 

The combined effect of carbon disulfide exposure and ethyl alcohol has been examined to determine if carbon disulfide exposure results in the Antabuse syndrome, an intolerance to alcohol. The metabolism of Antabuse, disulfuram, or tetraethylthiuram disulfide (TETD) produces carbon disulfide and diethylamine. The metabolites of Antabuse inhibit the enzymes necessary to metabolize ethyl alcohol (aldehyde dehydrogenase and catalase), which results in the Antabuse syndrome due to a buildup of aldehyde. Symptoms include a sensation of heat, a fall in blood pressure, nausea, and in extreme cases circulatory collapse (Djuric 1971). Research by Freundt et al. (1976) on rats and humans of the combined effects of carbon disulfide exposure and ethanol ingestion indicate that, at low (20 ppm) and medium (400 ppm) levels of carbon disulfide exposure and blood alcohol levels of approximately 0.75%, there is a carbon disulfide inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase with an increase in acetaldehyde concentrations in the blood. However, these increased acetaldehyde concentrations were not considered great enough to indicate the Antabuse syndrome. The study authors asserted that the Antabuse syndrome is not likely to occur in subjects who have blood alcohol levels of up to 0.8% and are exposed to 10 ppm carbon disulfide. 

Short-term effects, linked to the social use of ethanol, center on its effects on behavior, reflexes, and coordination. Blood alcohol levels of 0.05-0.15% seriously Inhibit coordination. Blood levels in excess of 0.10% are considered evidence of Intoxication in most states. Blood alcohol levels in the range of 0.30-0.50% produce unconsciousness and the risk of death. 

The suspect is required to exhale into a solution that wiU react with the unmetabolized alcohol in the breath. The partial pressure of the alcohol in the exhaled air has been demonstrated to be proportional to the blood alcohol level. The solution is an acidic solution of dichromate ion, which is yellow-orange. The alcohol reduces the chromium in the dichromate ion from +6 to +3, the Cr + ion, which is green. The intensity of the green color is measured, and it is proportional to the amount of ethanol that was oxidized. The reaction is ... 

Alcohol is a common cause of coma in all age ranges. Coma depth and length is associated with the amount of alcohol ingested, and this shows wide inter-paiiem variation. Alcoholic coma can be associated with head injuries, hypothermia and the presence of other drugs with which its action may be additive. In most cases, coma caused by ethanol will resolve relatively rapidly, the exception being when there is hepatic insufficiency. In cases where the blood alcohol level exceeds 80 mmol/l. haemodialysis may be required. The fact that alcohol can... 

The maximal capacity of MEOS (cytochrome P450-2E1) is increased in the liver with continued ingestion of ethanol through a mechanism involving induction of gene transcription. Thus, Al Martini has a higher capacity to oxidize ethanol to acetaldehyde than a naive drinker (a person not previously subjected to alcohol). Nevertheless, the persistance of his elevated blood alcohol level shows he has saturated his capacity for ethanol oxidation (V-maxed out). Once his enzymes are operating near Vmax. any additional ethanol he drinks will not appreciably increase the rate of ethanol clearance from his blood. 

Al Martini. In the Emergency Room, A1 Martini was evaluated for ] head injuries. From the physical examination and blood alcohol levels, it was determined that his mental state resulted from his alcohol consumption. Although his chronic ethanol consumption had increased his level of MEOS (and, therefore, rate of ethanol oxidation in his liver), his excessive drinking resulted in a blood alcohol level greater than the legal limit of 80 mg/dL. He suffered bruises and contusions but was otherwise uninjured. He left in the custody of the police officer. 

Although ethanol is not as toxic as methanol (Section 12.9), 1 pint of pure ethanol, rapidly ingested, would kill most people. Ethanol is a depressant, and the effects of different hlood levels of ethanol are shown in Table 14.5. Rapid consumption of two 1-ounce shots of 90-proof whiskey or of two 12-ounce beers can cause one s blood alcohol level to reach 0.05%. Ethanol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized by enzymes produced in the liver. The rate of detoxification is about 1 ounce of pure ethanol per hour. Ethanol is oxidized to acetaldehyde, which is further oxidized to acetic acid eventually, GOg and HgO are produced and eliminated through the lungs and kidneys. 

The test that law enforcement agencies use to approximate a person s blood alcohol level is based on the oxidation of breath ethanol. An oxidizing agent impregnated onto an inert material is enclosed within a sealed glass tube. When the test is to be administered, the ends of the tube are broken off and replaced with a mouthpiece at one end and a balloon-type bag at the other. The person being tested blows into the mouthpiece until the bag is filled with air. 

Ethanol is the most commonly abused drug in the United States. When ingested in small amounts, ethanol may produce a feeling of euphoria in the body despite the fact that it is a depressant. In the liver, enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenase oxidize ethanol to acetaldehyde, a substance that impairs mental and physical coordination. If the blood alcohol concentration exceeds 0.4%, coma or death may occur. Table 12.3 gives some of the typical behaviors exhibited at various blood alcohol levels. 

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