The search term "blood alcohol" is frequently used by people who are looking for information about blood alcohol analysis and blood alcohol levels, which are commonly used in drunk driving or DUI investigations. "Blood alcohol" analysis is that division of forensic toxicology that deals with analyzing the amount of ethyl alcohol (i.e., drinking alcohol) that exists in a person's blood. This is commonly accomplished by measurement of alcohol by weight in the individual's breath, blood or urine (called "urinalysis"). Alcohol is measured directly in the blood and indirectly in urine and breath. When urine is measured, a ratio of 1.3:1 is used in estimating the alcohol actually in the blood. Alcohol in the breath is measured by one of various commercially manufactured breath-alcohol instruments, such as the Intoxilyzer 5000 or Data Master, which apply a ratio of 2100:1 (i.e., for every part of alcohol in the measured breath in the statistically average person, there are 2100 parts in the blood). Most forms of breath analysis, however, are non-specific for alcohol -- that is, they measure different chemical compounds and falsely report them as alcohol.
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