Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
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Emerg Med Australas · Feb 2010
Lack of effect on blood alcohol level of swabbing venepuncture sites with 70% isopropyl alcohol.
It is standard practice to clean the skin using a non-alcohol-containing swab before forensic blood alcohol sampling, because of the belief that the use of an alcohol-containing swab will contaminate the sample. The present study aimed to determine whether cleaning the skin with 70% isopropyl alcohol swabs, before venepuncture, alters measured blood alcohol level (BAL). ⋯ The present study demonstrated that the use of 70% isopropyl alcohol swabs does not significantly affect BAL when used before venepuncture. This has implications that challenge current forensic blood alcohol sample acquisition.