Dipstick measurement of alcohol levels in body fluids
Heller, M.B.; Kaplan, R.M.
Annals of Internal Medicine 106(2): 328
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-4819 PMID: 3800194 Document Number: 295468
During 90 min 5 adults (3 men, 1 lactating woman and 1 non-lactating woman) consumed a mean of 597 ml of 9 different wines which ranged in alcohol content from 11.5 to 13%. At 15 min after the last ingestion saliva and urine were tested for alcohol content with a simple dipstick using alcohol oxidase (Abusa-Stick, Chem-Elec Inc., North Webster, Indiana, USA); a sample of breast milk was also tested. Breath and serum alcohol concentrations were estimated using a breathalyser and serum alcohol concentrations were submitted to standard gas chromatography. There was a high correlation between serum and salivary alcohol concentrations as estimated using the dipstick. The range indicated by each dipstick estimation was consistently confirmed by the standard serum estimation and was also similar to breathalyser readings. Urine concentrations, however, were not detectable in any subject and although alcohol was clearly detected in breast milk its concentration was markedly lower than the serum concentration.