Estimation of the amount of alcohol ingested from a single blood alcohol concentration

• Published in: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) Vol. 25; no. 4; p. 379
• Main Authors: Wagner, J G, Wilkinson, P K, Ganes, D A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 1990
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol Drinking - blood; Alcoholic Intoxication - blood; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ethanol - administration & dosage; Ethanol - pharmacokinetics; Fasting - blood; Humans; Male; Regression Analysis; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0735-0414
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a045019

Capillary blood alcohol concentrations (BAL) measured in 22 young adult male volunteers each of whom received three different treatments of alcohol (total N = 66) have been related quantitatively to the dose of alcohol ingested. Linear regression with reasonably homogeneous variances have been found when the BAL at 2, 2.5 and 3 hr are divided by the person's body weight and plotted versus the g/kg (D/W) dose. Error analysis indicated that the least error in the predicted dose (D/W) was obtained for BAL measured at 2 hr post dosing. In the latter case the mean absolute error was 6.23%, 59% of the errors were within +/- 5% and 88% of the errors were within +/- 10%.