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Pharmacology of drugs in saliva , Interpretation

المؤلف:  Sue Jickells , Adam Negrusz (Editors)

المصدر:  Clarkes Analytical Forensic Toxicology

الجزء والصفحة:  175

2026-10-08

41

Pharmacology of drugs in saliva

Interpretation

Saliva ethanol concentrations are an accurate reflection of blood alcohol concentrations, and can subsequently be used to estimate the pharmacokinetics of ethanol in an individual as evidence of impairment and to determine fitness for duty in the workplace. The DOT has codified saliva ethanol testing for US workplace testing (Department of Transportation 1994). The screening cut-off is 0.02 g% saliva or 0.02 g/210 L of breath. As the saliva alcohol tests are nonspecific chemical screening tests that may react with oxidising agents and with ketones and alcohols other than ethanol, it is necessary to confirm any positive results above 0.02 g% with an independent test based on a different chemical principle. Breath alcohol tests are usually either fuel cells or infrared spectrophotometers with optical filters and computer software safeguards for specificity and sensitivity. Specifically, they must be able to distinguish acetone from ethanol at the 0.02 g% alcohol level. A time limit is placed on confirmation of saliva ethanol results, since ethanol is metabolised rapidly by the liver. Initially, the confirmation breath test had to be performed within 20 minutes. The DOT now requires the confirmation test to be carried out within 30 minutes.