Widmark factors for local Chinese in Hong Kong. A statistical determination on the effects of various physiological factors.
Forensic Sci Int
; 151(1): 23-9, 2005 Jun 30.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15935939
ABSTRACT
The Widmark formula has been widely adopted in forensic applications to drink driving cases for the last 70 years. It is known that the amount of alcohol consumed and the body weight of the drinkers are important information for the estimation of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). However, the direct application of the Widmark factors derived from Caucasian to the calculation of BAC for the Chinese population often encounters serious challenges. Owing to this inherent weakness, a thorough analysis to determine the theoretical Widmark factors for the Chinese population, r(0) at the start of drinking and the practical factors, r(peak), at peak BAC was conducted. In the present study, other factors such as gender, stomach condition and other physiological conditions are taken into account. The determined theoretical Widmark factors, r(0,) for local Chinese male and female are 0.68 and 0.59 (with BAC in the units of weight/volume), respectively, demonstrating the applicability of the Widmark formula to the Chinese population. The practical factors at peak BAC, r(peak), were also determined to serve the forensic purpose of refuting the "hip-flask" defence in drink driving cases. Findings show that gender and stomach condition are the key factors that could statistically explain the variability of both r(0) and r(peak).
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Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Conducción de Automóvil
/
Algoritmos
/
Depresores del Sistema Nervioso Central
/
Etanol
/
Intoxicación Alcohólica
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Forensic Sci Int
Año:
2005
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China