Section Ii Operating Principles; Alcohol And The Human Body; Alcohol's Properties; Rate Of Consumption - Intoximeters Alco-Sensor FST Operator's Manual

OPERATING PRINCIPLES
SECTION II
OPERATING PRINCIPLES

Alcohol and the Human Body

Alcohol's Properties

Alcohol is a general term denoting a family of organic compounds with common properties. Members of this family include
ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol. This introduction discusses the physical, chemical and physiological aspects of these
alcohols.
Alcohol is a clear, volatile liquid that burns (oxidizes) easily. It has very little characteristic odor and is soluble in water.
Alcohol is an organic chemical composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. When ingested, alcohol passes from the
stomach into the small intestine, where it is absorbed into the blood. Alcohol is a depressant and deadens nerve endings.
In small concentrations, alcohol can impair the brain's delicate systems. As blood alcohol concentrations increase, a
person's response to stimuli becomes less precise, speech becomes slurred, and motor skills are adversely affected. Very
high concentrations (greater than 0.4 grams/210 liters of breath or 0.4 grams/100 milliliters of blood) can result in a coma or
death.

Rate of Consumption

Blood alcohol concentration depends on the amount of alcohol consumed, the rate at which it was consumed, body size,
and the rate at which the user's body metabolizes alcohol. Individual metabolic rates vary. However, a good rule of thumb
is that an average, healthy person, each hour metabolizes about the same amount of alcohol found in an average drink
(Average Drink = 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits or, 6-7 ounces of table wine (9% alcohol by volume) or a 12 ounce glass of
beer (5% alcohol by volume)).
Body size is also variable and will influence alcohol concentrations. An individual who weighs 300 pounds likely has twice
the body fluid as compared to a person who weighs 100 pounds. If the same amount of alcohol is consumed by two people
of very different size, the person with more body fluid will have a lower alcohol concentration. It is worth noting that the
smaller person's blood alcohol concentration will drop more quickly than a larger person as both the smaller and larger
person will metabolize approximately one average drink per hour.

Absorption

Once the alcohol reaches the upper intestine it passes into the bloodstream rapidly. Alcohol is then absorbed into all body
tissues. Because of its affinity to water, alcohol can be found in blood, urine, saliva and any other body tissue that contains
water.

Accumulation

The liver oxidizes alcohol: this oxidation creates body energy. The body metabolizes (converts to energy) alcohol at a rate
of approximately an average drink per hour. Because the body metabolizes alcohol at a fixed rate, ingesting alcohol at a
rate higher than an average drink per hour (see explanation for average drink in preceding paragraph) results in a
cumulative effect - increasing blood alcohol concentration.

Tolerance

Acquired Tolerance is a person's ability to mask the impairing effects of alcohol; it can be learned experientially. Body
Tolerance is related to physical factors, (i.e. body size, food in the stomach). Both types of tolerance affect how an
individual will respond to a given amount of alcohol.
Alco-Sensor FST Operator Manual, Page 9 of 33, 11/30/2017