Blood alcohol content | |
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Synonyms | Blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, blood alcohol level, blood alcohol |
LOINC | 5639-0, 5640-8, 15120-9, 56478-1 |
Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes.[1]
BAC is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume of blood. In the US and many international publications, BAC levels are written as a percentage such as 0.08%, meaning that there is 0.08 g of alcohol for every 100 mL of blood.[1][2] In different countries, the maximum permitted BAC when driving ranges from the limit of detection (zero tolerance) to 0.08%.[3][2] BAC levels above 0.40% are potentially fatal.[1]