Dilute aqueous ethanol reference material will be useful in testing pilots, navigators, aircrew, and ground staff against recently-tightened blood alcohol limits
LGC Promochem releases a new forensic ethanol reference material in rapid response to recent legislation.
Legislation lowering the blood alcohol limit for air traffic controllers and active aircrew to a quarter of the drink drive limit recently passed into law in the UK.
This law now brings the UK into line with other EU countries.
With this new, much lower blood alcohol limit and with the serious implications of failure, it is vital that test methods are accurate, traceable and reproducible.
It follows that the reference materials used must be of the highest possible standard.
The new product is a 20mg/100ml aqueous ethanol, which has been certified using a Ukas-accredited method and the certified reference value confirmed by isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS).
It complements the existing LGC range of 80, 107 and 200mg/100ml.
LGC's chemical calibration facility worked closely with the Forensic Science Service and the Department for Transport to produce an appropriate material for this application in record time.
The product meets the needs of forensic scientists working to the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003.
This act makes it an offence for air traffic controllers, pilots, navigators, flight engineers, radio operators and even members of the cabin crew to have a blood alcohol level in excess of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. All the LGC aqueous ethanol reference materials are available through LGC Promochem.
Further information on these and other forensic materials is available via LGC Promochem's interactive website, which offers an advanced search facility and online ordering to account holders for over 11,000 reference materials in English, French or German.
