NCJ Number
230152
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 42 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2009 Pages: 260-265
Date Published
December 2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study determined the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in blood samples of suspected impaired drivers in Canada that were collected into expired and non-expired "approved containers," as defined in subsection 254(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC).
Abstract
The study found that the BAC was slightly higher in non-expired containers than the mean of the BAC for all samples. The BAC was also found to be slightly higher in samples stored under refrigeration compared to samples stored at room temperature. The BAC in expired approved containers was not significantly different from the BAC in non-expired approved containers under either storage condition. The mean BAC for samples collected into expired containers did not differ from the BAC of the samples collected into non-expired containers by more than the accepted variability of the testing method. This was true even for approved containers that had been expired for more than 15 years. In addition to having no forensically significant impact on the BAC, the study also found that the approved containers retained their vacuum for more than 15 years. The study concludes that the use of expired approved containers is a forensically acceptable practice. As defined in the CCC, "approved containers" must contain both an anti-coagulant and a preservative additive in such a concentration as to maintain the integrity of the blood sample for the purposes of forensic alcohol analysis. Blood samples were collected from two subjects who had consumed alcohol. Samples were collected directly into expired and non-expired "approved containers," subsequently stored for a period of 21 days under refrigeration or at room temperature, and then analyzed using a headspace gas chromatographic procedure. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 8 references