Forensic Issues in Alcohol Testing

Forensic Issues in Alcohol Testing offers concise and focused information specific to the interests of forensic scientists and clinical and forensic toxicologists. It analyzes the acute effects of alcohol intoxication and the methods by which investigators can measure alcohol concentration in blood, urine, and breath. It considers extenuating circumstances affecting acute impairment by detailing the disposition and fate of alcohol in the body as well as the factors influencing absorption, distribution, and elimination. Specific chapters address difficulties in measuring and interpreting post-mortem alcohol concentrations due to poor quality of specimen, sampling site differences, and post-mortem diffusion or synthesis. Recent advances in biochemical testing make it possible to quantitate chronic alcohol ingestion, and the book analyzes the efficacy of these tests as evaluators of dependence or potential for dependence.