1. Lips
The gatekeeper of what goes in and what comes out.

2. Oral Cavity
Can also trap alcohol which may appear on a breath alcohol test.

3. Esophagus
Connects the pharynx (throat) to the stomach.

4. Swallowing
4-8 seconds to reach the stomach.

5. Stomach Main food storage tank of the body. Secretes a mixture of:
*Acid
*Mucus
Digestive enzymes
- Digest and sanitize
our food

6. Gastric Canal
Longitudinal ridges found on the interior stomach.

7. Retention of Food
Food can be retained in the stomach for 2-5 hours.

8. Pyloric Opening *The pyloric opening, also known as pyloric canal.
* Connects the pylorus with the small intestine.

9. Pyloric Sphincter At The end of the pyloric canal Its powerful muscle.
A valve that allows food into the small intestine

10. Bad Science Most Experts Agree:
Gastric Emptying before full absorption
Then
Claim full absorption minutes

11. They are Wrong!
There are numerous sources that food can, and does, stay in the stomach for 2-6 hours in normal conditions. These include medical texts, online informational sites, and generally accepted facts. Also common knowledge.

12. Don’t Eat or Drink for 8 Hours Before Surgery
WHY?
Because you might aspirate food from your stomach and get it in your lungs

13. Trust your Doctors Doctors want to be sure
Trust the doctor on the medical opinions.

14. Small Intestine
* Absorbs 90% of the nutrients from the food we eat.

15. Portal Vein
The Portal Vein carries nutrients and freshly absorbed alcohol from the small intestine to the Liver. This saturates the blood in the liver with alcohol, leading to a lack of equilibrium of alcohol in the blood during the absorption stage.

16. Heart * Pump that circulates blood.
Requires oxygen to carry out its function.
Deoxygenated blood from trunk and liver
Pumps it to the lungs
Returns returns with oxygen, and circulates to the rest of the body.

17. Lungs
Provide us with oxygen while also removing carbon dioxide

18. Gas Exchange
In the alveolus the oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide exits
Alcohol also exits into the air that is exhaled.

19. Circulation
An Overview

20. Circulation, Absorption, & Inaccurate BAC results
This is why it matter.

21. Inaccurate Breath Alcohol Reading
*Blood entering the lungs, during the absorption = Higher BAC than other areas of the body
Continues until equilibrium.

22. Don’t let a wrong answer cause a bad conviction.
Alcohol saturated blood enters the lungs
BrAC is consistent with lungs, but not necessarily with the rest of the body

23. Resources
* You will need resources to cross experts:

24. A.W. Jones
Physiological Aspects of Breath-Alcohol Measurement which was published in Alcohol, Drugs and Driving Vol 6, Number 2 in 1990

25. Overstates BAC * BAC is overstated during the absorption period.
* Peak blood alcohol levels minutes.
* Peak BAC and Full absorption are not the same

26. G. Simpson’s Article
Accuracy and Precision of Breath Alcohol Measurements for Subjects in the Absorptive State was published in The Journal of Clinical Chemistry, Volume 33 No. 6, in 1987

27. Important Points Specific examples BAC was overstated: 230% 30% 60%.
190%

28. Simpson Concludes Breath is:
Not a reliable for estimating BAC while in absorptive stage.
Due to variations between venous and arterial BAC during absorption
BrAC consistently overestimate BAC during absorption.

29. Kurt M. Dubowski, Ph.D
Absorption, Distribution and Elimination of Alcohol: Highway Safety Aspects

30. PEAK BAC:
minutes
Averages:
Men = 57 Min
Women = 42 min

31. Oral Contraceptives Women taking oral contraceptives: Lower peak BAC
Significantly lower body elimination rates
From (Jones and Jones, 1984).

32. Why This Matters
Did the Government expert factor this in?

33. Absorption Time
Alcohol absorption is not always complete within minutes as often claimed

34. Goldfrank’s Toxicological EmergenciesP
An approximate absorption of 20% from stomach.
* 80% from the small intestine.

35. Goldfrank’s Under optimal conditions: for absorption: * 80-90% 60 min
Factors that delay absorption:
* High % ethanol (causing pyloric spasms)
Presence of food,
Aspirin

36. Goldfrank’s – P. 1149 Factors affecting absorption: Gastric emptying
Ingest on Empty stomach
Absence of congeners
Dilution (max absorption at a concentration of 20%)
Carbonation.

37. Goldfrank’s Further factors: Period of ingestion Individual variations
May Delay absorption for 2-6 hours.

38. Overstatement of BAC
If absorption is occurring, we will have an overstatement of BAC from a breath alcohol analysis.