1. Some Aspects of Forensic Alcohol Toxicology
J.G. Wigmore
Forensic Alcohol Toxicologist
Crown Conference Collingwood 2005

2. Data Searches on Web Google Search
Massive amount unedited (mis)information generally not peer-reviewed
“alcohol” 15 million hits
“breathalyzer” 92,000 hits
“intoxilyzer” 7,670 hits
Ephemeral in nature – between 1998 – 2002, 59% of health-related web sites could not longer be found

3. Government Web Sites
Pubmed Database – MEDLINE contains over 12 million citations from more than 4,600 biomedical journals from 1960’s
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

4. Professional Societies
American Academy of Forensic Science
Canadian Society of Forensic Science
Provide useful links to other web sites
Publisher web sites
JAT, Elsevier, Springer, Freemedicaljournals.com

5. Evolution of Alcohol Database
Originally typed file cards
File Express (very primitive, search was only one line at a time)
Endnote (networked for other scientists)
Now approximately 6,300 papers: 3-hole punched in 125 binders
Converting all into pdf

6. Basic Principle of Scientific Research
Internal
Validity
External
Validity

7. Blood : Breath Ratio (BBR)
How to make the BBR as low as possible:
Rapid drinking on empty stomach (A-V effects); Jones et al (1997)
Test at low BACs/BrACs (e.g. BAC of 10 and BrAC of 20 indicates BBR of 1050:1)
Test shortly after drinking ceased – mouth alcohol effect, 990:1; Jones (1978)
Use re-breathed air
Use canine subject, 1142:1 (Mason and Dubowski, 1976)

8. Blood:Breath Ratio How to make the BBR as high as possible
Prolonged drinking (no AV effects)
Uncooperative subjects
Truncate BrAC
Use lower of duplicate results
Test at high BrACs

9. Blood in the Mouth
Wigmore J.G. and Wilkie M.P., ‘A Simulation of the Effect of Blood in the Mouth on Breath Alcohol Concentrations of Drinking Subjects” CSFS J. 35(1): 9-16, 2002
Twenty-six male subjects consumed alcoholic beverages ad libitum over one hour
Testing was conducted 1.5 hours later
The subjects provided a breath sample, then a blood sample was collected
The subjects then placed 3-10 mL of own blood into mouth and provided another breath sample

10. Blood in the Mouth
The BACs ranged from 44 to 168 mg/100mL (mean 95 mg/100mL)
BrAC (before) = 87 mg/100mL
BrAC (after) = 84 mg/100mL
No significant differences if truncated results used
Wigmore and Wilkie (2002)

11. Accuracy of ASD Wilkie, Wigmore and Patrick, CSFS J, 36: 165-171, 2003
Two year study , 1998 to 1999
811 drinking drivers who obtained a FAIL on Alcotest 7410 GLC compared with Intoxilyzer results (22% of all drivers tested)
Time between ASD and evidential test ranged from 0.1 to 2.6 hours

12. Wilkie, Wigmore and Patrick, 2003

13. Accuracy of Alcotest 7410GLC
To determine the false positive rate, the results were adjusted for the rate of elimination and time difference.
BrAC (mg/ 100mL)
Est. at time of ASD
Intox
Results
< 80
2 (0.2%)
17 (2.1%)
<100
12 (1.5%)
117 (14.4%)

14. Stability of Aqueous Alcohol Standard
Chow and Wigmore, CSFSJ 38(1): 21-24, 2005
Different manufacturers have different expiry dates, from 1 to 3 years
Analysed in triplicate four bottles at 0.484, 2.42, and mg/mL stored at room temperature for 26 years
With increasing alcohol concentration increasing percentage loss

15. Chow and Wigmore, 2005

16. Chow and Wigmore, 2005
The mean percentage losses were +4.4, -0.6, -2.0 and -26.3% (Fick’s Law)
At concentrations of mg/mL or less the greatest decrease was -15.6%, which indicates an annual loss of approximately 0.6%/year
Dilute aqueous alcohol solutions are remarkably stable

17. Comparison of Drinking History and Intoxilyzer 5000C Results
Common defense in Ontario is drinking history presented in evidence by accused
Martin, Wigmore and Woodall CSFSJ, 37(4): , 2004
Compared 230 self-reported drinking histories with Intoxilyzer results
Elimination rate of 10 mg/100mL/h, 84% underestimated
Elimination rate of 20 mg/100mL/h 96% underestimated

18. Martin, Wigmore and Woodall, 2004
Reasons for underestimation
Memory loss
Decreased attention (alcohol myopia)
Non standard volume and concentration of alcoholic beverages consumed
Carry-over

19. Martin, Wigmore and Woodall, 2004
Carry-over
Drinking driver was not at a zero BAC when drinking started
Alberta study of interlock results showed most frequent time for warns (0.020 g/210L) and fails (0.040 g/210L) were between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekdays (Marques et al, 2001)
Most drivers were “surprised” by results

20. Drinking Driver: High BAC Arrested Drivers
“Characteristics of Arrested Drinking Drivers with the Highest Intoxilyzer 5000C Results in Toronto: Drinking and Driving not Only at Night or on Weekends” (Wigmore, House & Patrick, CSFS J., 2004, 37: 1-8)
Toronto
Using the highest 20 BrACs/year:
10 Female & 90 Male drivers (n=100)
Ages: Mean = 41; Range years

21. Characteristics of the Drinking Driver: High BAC Arrested Drivers
BrACs:
Mean: mg/100 mL
Median: 335 mg/100 mL
Range: – 410 mg/100 mL (1st test used) 
The mean BrAC of the 10 females was statistically higher than the males

22. High BAC Arrested Drivers
High BAC drivers were detected equally between collision involvement or other means
Involved in collision n=47
Not involved in a collision n=53
Moreover, those involved in collisions did not have a significantly elevated BrAC compared to other high BrAC arrested drivers
Wigmore, House, and Patrick, 2004

23. High BAC Arrested Drivers
Wigmore, House, and Patrick, 2004

24. High BAC Arrested Drivers
Most interesting/revealing data is the time and the day of arrest
No correlation with weekday vs weekend or time of day
No typical distribution of weekend and night-time
Wigmore, House, and Patrick, 2004

25. High BAC Arrested Drivers
Graph
Wigmore, House, and Patrick, 2004

26. High BAC Arrested Drivers
Wigmore, House, and Patrick, 2004

27. Case Report: Serum, blood, breath
Wigmore and Elliot CSFSJ, 37: , 2004
22 year old male attending a Bush party (Pukefest), drinking beer all night
Stopped drinking at 5:00 a.m.
Involved in a serious MVC at 8:45 a.m.- 2 seriously injured
Police arrived, odor of alcoholic beverage “couple of beers”

28. Wigmore and Elliot, 2004
Blood collected from driver at hospital at 11:15 a.m.
Hospital SAC = 30.2 mmol/L
Blood seized- (lavender top) headspace GC = g/100mL
BrAC 12:43 p.m g/210L
1:03 p.m g/210L

29. Wigmore and Elliot 2004 Hospital blood tubes Red No additives Green
Heparin
Lavender
EDTA
Grey
Sodium fluoride

30. Reasons for Lack of Increase in BAC
Blood from living subject is essentially sterile
Blood glucose is low compared to postmortem blood (100 mg/100mL compared to over 1,000 mg/100mL)
Red blood cells in absence of NaF metabolize glucose
Red blood cells convert ethanol to acetaldehyde (temperature dependent)

31. Indicators of Putrefaction
Color (brown, green, black)
Odor (hydrogen sulfide)
Other volatiles, (n-propanol, acetaldehyde) on GC
Large differences in alcohol concentration between samples

32. Wigmore and Elliot, 2004 Sample BAC Estimated BAC at 8:45 a.m. Serum
0.120 g/100mL
g/100mL
Blood
0.116 g/100mL
g/100mL
Breath
0.090 g/100mL
g/100mL

33. FINIS
In vino veritas…In wine there is truth.
- Pliny

34. Information processing Psychomotor skills Perception
Divided attention
Visual tracking
Complex RT
Information processing
Psychomotor skills
Perception
Concentrated attention
Simple RT
INCREASING
BAC