Analysis for Alcohol in Postmortem Specimens

This chapter describes how the analysis for ethyl alcohol is the most frequent determination required of laboratories that perform toxicology on the post-mortem specimens. It describes how studies have shown that alcohol is the most common drug found in persons dying of all causes, but with highest incidences in deaths from injuries and violence. Ethyl alcohol is also one of the leading causes of death by poisoning, ranked right up there with carbon monoxide and heroin. Over 1300 Americans are estimated to die annually because of alcohol overdose or when alcohol is a contributing cause of death. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is therefore of great importance in forensic autopsy investigations to perform accurate analyses for alcohol using the optimal specimens for this purpose, and to know the significance (and limitations) of alcohol findings in these specimens. The specimen choices, interpretations and implications of alcohol findings in postmortem cases are discussed in this chapter.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781933264585
• Corporate Authors:

  Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company, Incorporated

  P.O. Box 30040
  Tucson, AZ  United States  85751-0040
• Authors:
  • Garriott, James C
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Fifth
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 217-228
• Monograph Title: Garriott's Medicolegal Aspects of Alcohol

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol tests; Alcohol use; Ethanol; Fatalities; Highway safety; Human factors in crashes; Toxicology
• Uncontrolled Terms: Postmortem
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01164980
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781933264585
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 16 2010 9:11AM