NCJ Number
141730
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1993) Pages: 266-271
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
To assess whether urine samples tested in the course of a DUI investigation may be compromised by endogenous ethanol production, this study evaluated unpreserved urine samples that were collected, processed, and repeatedly analyzed over 13 to 41 days using a standard gas chromatographic procedure.
Abstract
Despite extensive microbial growth, researchers could not detect ethanol in any test sample. The extent of ethanol production in samples supplemented with glucose, candida albicans, or both, was determined to evaluate the potential for ethanol production in samples associated with pathological conditions including urinary tract infections and diabetes. A 1 percent sodium fluoride solution was used in some samples as a microbial suppressant. Ethanol could not be detected in any sample treated with the 1 percent sodium fluoride solution. Therefore, the authors concluded that the lack of ethanol production in any of the unpreserved urine samples would make a false DUI conviction due to endogenous ethanol production unlikely. While endogenous ethanol production is possible in samples containing glucose or candida albicans, use of a 1 percent sodium fluoride solution would completely suppress microbial growth. 1 table, 1 figure, and 5 references