liu.seSearch for publications in DiVA
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • oxford
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Occurrence of ethanol and other drugs in blood and urine specimens from female victims of alleged sexual assault
Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences. Linköping University, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinical Chemistry.
Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences. Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology.
Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology National Board of Forensic Medicine, Linköping.
Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences. Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology.
2008 (English)In: Forensic Science International, ISSN 0379-0738, E-ISSN 1872-6283, Vol. 181, no 1-3, p. 40-46Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Results of toxicological analysis of blood and urine specimens from 1806 female victims of alleged non-consensual sexual activity are reported. After making contact with the police authorities, the victims were examined by a physician for injuries and biological specimens were taken for forensic toxicology and other purposes (e.g. DNA). Urine if available or otherwise on an aliquot of blood after protein precipitation was screened for the presence of drugs by enzyme immunoassay methods (EMIT/CEDIA). All positive results from screening were verified by more specific methods, involving isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for illicit drugs. A large number of prescription drugs were analyzed in blood by capillary column gas chromatography with a nitrogen-phosphorous (N-P) detector. Ethanol was determined in blood and urine by headspace gas chromatography and concentrations less than 0.1 g/L were reported as negative. The number of reported cases of alleged sexual assault was highest during the warmer summer months and the mean age of victims was 24 years (median 20 years), with ∼60% being between 15 and 25 years. In 559 cases (31%) ethanol and drugs were negative. In 772 cases (43% of total) ethanol was the only drug identified in blood or urine. In 215 cases (12%) ethanol occurred together with at least one other drug. The mean, median and highest concentrations of ethanol in blood (N = 806) were 1.24 g/L, 1.19 g/L and 3.7 g/L, respectively. The age of victims and their blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) were positively correlated (r = 0.365, p < 0.001). Because BAC decreases at a rate of 0.10-0.25 g/(L h), owing to metabolism the concentration in blood at time of sampling is often appreciably less than when the crime was committed several hours earlier. Licit or illicit drugs were identified in blood or urine in N = 262 cases (15%). Amphetamine and tetrahydrocannabinol were the most common illicit drugs at mean (median) concentrations in blood of 0.22 mg/L (0.1 mg/L) and 0.0012 mg/L (0.0006 mg/L), respectively. Among prescription drugs, sedative-hypnotics such as diazepam and zopiclone were common findings along with SSRI antidepressants and various opiate analgesics. Interpreting the analytical results in terms of voluntary vs. surreptitious administration of drugs and the degree of incapacitation in the victim as well as ability to give informed consent for sexual activity is fraught with difficulties. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2008. Vol. 181, no 1-3, p. 40-46
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-43540DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.08.010Local ID: 74134OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-43540DiVA, id: diva2:264400
Available from: 2009-10-10 Created: 2009-10-10 Last updated: 2017-12-13

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full texthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=18922656

Authority records

Jones, A WayneKugelberg, FredrikAhlner, Johan

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Jones, A WayneKugelberg, FredrikAhlner, Johan
By organisation
Faculty of Health SciencesClinical ChemistryClinical Pharmacology
In the same journal
Forensic Science International
Medical and Health Sciences

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 130 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • oxford
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf