SUBJECT AREA · 05 GUIDES
Alcohol & Volatiles
Principles and limitations of blood, breath, and postmortem alcohol and volatile analysis.
Headspace Gas Chromatography
Headspace gas chromatography analyzes volatile compounds in the vapor above a prepared specimen. Controlled equilibration and separation are central to reliable alcohol measurement.
Sodium Fluoride in Blood Alcohol Testing
Sodium fluoride can limit microbial activity and help preserve alcohol specimens, but it does not make every sample immune to change.
Blood Alcohol by GC-FID
Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection is commonly used for blood alcohol measurement. Reliable work depends on separation, calibration, controls, and duplicate agreement.
Breath Alcohol Measurement
Breath instruments estimate alcohol in exhaled breath under defined sampling conditions. The result is a breath measurement, not a direct blood analysis.
Toxic Alcohol Testing
Methanol, ethylene glycol, isopropanol, and related compounds require targeted testing. Metabolites, acid-base status, treatment, and time can shape interpretation.