Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

ate with increase of BAC, with the mean value of 0.221 ± 0.075 g/kg [11].
The results of a pilot study have shown that the use of alcohol biomarkers
[carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), and the Early Detection of Alcohol
Consumption (EDAC) test] in the U.S. could provide an objective tool to
identify high-risk drivers [12]. While a study in Canada showed that all
biomarkers except fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) [phosphatidyl ethanol (PETH),
CDT and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) in blood samples; ethyl
glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulphate (EtS) in urine samples; and FAEE and
EtG in hair samples] were related significantly to the interlock BAC test profiles
[13]. Hence, it was suggested that the alcohol biomarkers should serve as a
good means for determining license regranting for DUI offenders. The value of
analyzing ethanol metabolites as measures of abstinence was evaluated for a
subject who was convicted of DUI but claimed abstinence from alcohol after
supervised disulfiram treatment [14]. Apart from traditional biomarkers, CDT,
EtG and FAEE in hair, phosphatidylethanol in whole blood, and EtG and ethyl
sulphate in urine were measured. The subject was found with EtG in distal
parts of hair only, with FAEE concentrations typical for either moderate social
drinking or abstinence.
The efficacy of a fructose drink that claimed to noticeably increase the alcohol
elimination rate was investigated using 30 volunteers under a randomized
double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. While the soft drink may
decrease the alcohol concentration by about 10%, the claim of fructose drinks
to work as a 'soberade' cannot be proven from a scientific point of view [15].
A comparison of the performance of a portable impairment test device known
as the Roadside Impairment Testing Apparatus (RITA) with the Field
Impairment Tests (FIT) was conducted using 122 volunteers who received a
dose of alcohol and placebo on separate days [16]. The accuracy of RITA was
between 66 and 70%, not significantly higher than that of FIT. Horizontal gaze
nystagmus, not currently included in FIT, was also investigated and posted an
accuracy of 74%. Driving is a classic example of visually guided behavior in
which the eyes move before some other action. A study showed that the
optimal eye-hand coordination relationship deteriorates with levels of breath
alcohol well within the current UK legal limit for driving, and that deterioration in
eye movement can be detected by an automated in-car system, which warns
the driver when he is no longer fit to drive [17].
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