Abstract
The word “endogenous” means produced or originating from within the body, so endogenous ethanol therefore implies a spontaneous auto regulation of ethanol through various human metabolic processes. In the current research, endogenous ethanol concentrations in blood were determined by sensitive headspace gas chromatography/mass Spectrophotometry in 1400 residents of Saudi Arabia. The subjects were from 14 nationalities, of both sexes and of different age groups. There was no significance difference in blood ethanol concentration between nationalities or between sexes within and between nationalities. The data was extracted and the overall mean ± SD, minimum, maximum, 5% percentile and 95% percentile were 0.14, ± 0.35, 0.00, 1.53 , 0.00, 1.20 mg/dl respectively. The values of blood ethanol concentration as reported in this study indicate they are far too low to have any forensic significance.
Highlights
The concentration of ethanol in blood constitutes important evidence for prosecuting drunk drivers and other forms of crimes
The legal limits of blood ethanol level vary from country to country and it is usually in the range of 30-80 mg/dl, there is a tendency to lower the limit in certain areas
The mean ± SD blood alcohol concentration reported in this study is low (0.14 ± 0.35 mg/dl) and agrees with earlier reports [49] which support the presence of endogenous ethanol levels
Summary
The concentration of ethanol in blood constitutes important evidence for prosecuting drunk drivers and other forms of crimes. The reliability of the results of forensic alcohol analysis is often challenged by defense. One such argument for produced acquittal concerns the notion that alcohol could be produced naturally in the body, the term “auto brewery” syndrome [1]. The legal limits of blood ethanol level vary from country to country and it is usually in the range of 30-80 mg/dl, there is a tendency to lower the limit in certain areas. E.g., pilots, there is a zero tolerance for blood alcohol level. Countries like Saudi Arabia (SA) need to adopt a similar rule for zero tolerance for blood alcohol if a person, for any reason, is suspected of being under the effect of alcohol [2]
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