Alcohol and Alcohol Combined with Texting: Evaluation of Driving Impairment Effects in a Closed-Course Section.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the driving impairment effects of alcohol alone and of alcohol combined with texting. METHODS: Fifteen drivers (nine male, six female; mean age: 31.1 ± 6.9 years, range: 23 to 43 years) with similar drinking habit (i.e., social drinkers) completed a lap in a closed-course section in six different situations: (I) sober; (II) sober and while texting; (III) 30 minutes after ingesting a moderate dose of ethanol (0.50 g/kg); (IV) 30 minutes after drinking and while texting; (V) 60 minutes after drinking, (VI) 60 minutes after drinking and while texting. Driving performance was analyzed by means of maximum and mean speed, braking time and braking distance; and ability to control the car (i.e., evaluating if the drivers hit a traffic cone or exceeded the boundaries of the course). P values of < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Pre and post-alcohol consumption results show a significant increase concerning the drivers' mean and maximum speed after drinking (p < 3.2x10-8). However, neither alcohol nor texting had significant effects on braking parameters (p > 0.05). Traffic cones were knocked down only in texting experiments. In addition, when using the cell phone drivers tended to reduce the speed, and to accelerate abruptly right after they finish texting. CONCLUSION: Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that even moderate alcohol doses may significantly impair the driving performance. Additionally, alcohol and texting have complementary effects on driving impairment, and their combination represents a significant risk factor for crashes.

Quantifying Ethanol in Ethanol-Based Hand Sanitizers by Headspace Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (HS-GC/FID).

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic sharply increased the demand for ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers, leading to a shortage of these products. Consequently, regulatory health agencies worldwide have altered their regulatory guidelines on ethanol quality to meet this high demand, raising concerns about product quality. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify ethanol content and to qualitatively assess common impurities in ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers by headspace (HS) gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID). METHODS: To quantify the ethanol content, 0.10 g of the sample was weighed in a 20 mL HS vial and 5 mL of deionized water was added. Regarding the qualitative approach, 0.25 g of the sample was weighed and 4 mL of deionized water was added. The samples were incubated and then 400 µL of the HS was injected into the GC/FID. Forty-eight products purchased in Brazil were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirteen products presented at least one nonconformity regarding the ethanol quantity. Two samples presented an average ethanol concentration below the lower limit considered effective. Twelve samples presented acetaldehyde or ethyl acetate. CONCLUSION: The huge demand for ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers may have impacted their quality. Because concern with proper hand hygiene tends to remain an issue for a long period, more studies about quality control of hand sanitizers will be needed. HIGHLIGHTS: A simple and fast HS-GC/FID method to quantify ethanol in ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers was developed, validated, and applied to commercial samples in Brazil. The regulatory authorities must be more vigilant to ensure that the commercially available products meet the recommended specifications.