Alcohol Essentials: Alcohol Calculations & ANSI/ASB BPR 122

This course continues our Alcohol Essentials Series, which offers a comprehensive exploration of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and chemical testing of alcohol. The focus of this module is best practices for performing alcohol calculations.

Experts in alcohol-related cases are frequently requested to calculate information such as the amount of alcohol needed to reach a specific blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or a person’s BAC at a point in time before testing. Wide variation in these calculation practices prompted the development of a standardized best practice recommendation. ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 122: Best Practice for Performing Alcohol Calculations in Forensic Toxicology. The course will begin with an overview of the underlying pharmacokinetic principles, followed by a thorough examination of BPR 122, different types of alcohol calculations, and relevant case examples.

While this course briefly discusses pharmacokinetics of alcohol, we highly recommend completing the Alcohol Essentials Absorption, Distribution, and Metabolism courses for more expansive education on those topics.