Blood Alcohol Concentrations Reached in Human Subjects After Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in a Social Setting

Abstract

ABSTRACTMaximum Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), time to reach maximum after the consumption of last drink, post-absorptive disappearance from blood and dose/response relationship for ethanol were studied in sixteen drinking subjects with consumption taking place in a normal social setting. BAC's were measured by means of breath samples introduced into Borkenstein Breathalyzers. The mean maximum BAC (mg/100 mL)/g ethanol/kg body weight was found to be 144 ± 25. Mean time to maximum after consumption of last drink was 35 min. ± 15. The post-absorptive rate of decline of ETOH was found to be 19.3 ± 3.2 mg% per hour. We also found the Widmark factor for females to be 0.70 and for males 0.73.