Alcohol Facts by National Draeger
Route
Alcohol is absorbed into the blood through the walls of the stomach and small intestine, travels via the portal vein to the liver, and thence travels via the circulatory system to the heart, lungs and back to the heart. It is then pumped from the heart to all parts of the body.
Equilibrium
Alcohol has an affinity for water and distributes itself throughout the body organs and tissues in proportion to their fluid content. Blood circulates through the body at a rate of 3 to 4.5 liters per minute. Organs such as the brain, liver and kidney, which have a large blood supply, initially receive a disproportionately large quantity of circulating blood. When absorption and distribution are complete, equilibrium is achieved, that is, alcohol is proportional to fluid content.
Distribution ratios
The distribution ratios given below are for the amount of alcohol in tissues and body fluids compared to that in whole blood, which has been assigned a value of 1.00. The values given are averages; for example, the actual ratios between urine and blood have ranged from 1.12 top 1.51.
| Urine | 1.35 |
| Brain | 1.17 |
| Blood Plasma | 1.16 |
| Saliva | 1.12 |
| Liver | 0.91 |
| Blood Clot | 0.77 |
| Whole body: men | 0.68 |
| Whole body: Women | 0.55 |
| Fat | 0.019 |
Widmark's R
E.M.P. Widmark, a Swedish scientist and pioneer in alcohol research, developed a formula for estimating the amount of alcohol in a person's body that would produce a given BAC. It is based on the distribution of alcohol in the body as a whole compared to blood.
Formula. The formula is:
WRCT
A= .08
Where: A = ethyl alcohol in milliliters- (ML)
W = body weight in grams (g)
R = distribution ration ( .68 for men; .55 for women)
CT = chemical test (decimal equivalent of % BAC)
.8 = specific gravity of alcohol (approximately)
(See Section B for definition of specific gravity.)
Example.
How many fluid ounces of 100-proof whiskey are in the body of a 200-pound man who has a BAC of 0.15%?
Solution.
Pertinent equivalents:
1 lb = 454 g
30 ml (approx.) = 1 oz (Fluid)
100-proof whiskey = 0.50 alcohol
W = 200 x 454 g = 90,800 g
R - .68 (distribution ratio for men)
CT - .0015 (decimal equivalent of BAC of 0.15%)
Therefore:
WRCT
A = 0.8
90,800 x .68 x .0015
A = 0.8
92.626
A = 0.8
A= 115.77 ml
115.7
A= 30 ml = 3.85 fl oz pure alcohol
3.85 = 7.70 fl oz 100-proof whiskey
.50
Caution.
Widmark's R is based on averages. It actually provides a means of estimating the amount of alcohol in the body at the time of chemical testing. It should not be consider5ed as a means of specifying actual amount consumed.
