ABSTRACT

Ethyl alcohol is probably the most signicant drug for the forensic toxicologist, as evidenced by its status as an automatic analyte for postmortem, driving under the inuence (DUI), drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), postaccident, and even most presumed or suspected cases of poisoning. While demonstrating the presence

of an odd, unusual, or esoteric poison in a suspected homicide case might represent the ultimate challenge to the art and cra of the forensic toxicologist, such a case will be bracketed by hundreds if not thousands of moreor-less routine cases in which ethyl alcohol plays a major or at least a contributory role. Other alcohols, while less oen encountered, are nevertheless occasionally signi- cant analytes in forensic cases.