NCJ Number
121299
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1989) Pages: 836-841
Date Published
1989
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Mild hyperthermia to the extent of a 2.5 degree C increase above normal body temperature was produced by immersion of ethanol-intoxicated subjects in a warm water bath.
Abstract
Hyperthermia did cause a significant distortion of the breath-alcohol decay curve, up to as much as a 23 percent increase above blood-alcohol concentration. The magnitude of this distortion effect was calculated to be a 8.62 percent increase in breath-alcohol concentration over blood-alcohol concentration for each degree C increase in core body temperature. The forensic relevance of these results is that further support is given to previous recommendations that temperature monitoring be included in procedures for breath-alcohol analysis. This leads to the recommendation that mouth temperature be measured before breath sampling to screen for abnormal body temperature and to allow for potential use of a "temperature correction factor." This modification to existing analytical procedures would optimize the reliability of breath-ethanol analysis for prediction of blood-ethanol concentration. (Author abstract)