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 Washington Administrative Code (Last Updated: November 23, 2016)
 Title 448. State Toxicologist
 Chapter 448-14. State toxicologist standards for analysis of blood samples for alcohol.

Section 448-14-010. Criteria for approved methods of quantitative analysis of blood samples for alcohol.  

Latest version.
  • Any quantitative blood alcohol analysis method which meets the following criteria is approved by the state toxicologist and may be used in the state of Washington. Analysis of urine for estimation of blood alcohol concentrations is not approved by the state toxicologist in the state of Washington.
    The blood analysis procedure should have the following capabilities:
    (1) Precision and accuracy.
    (a) The method will be capable of replicate analyses by an analyst under identical test conditions so that consecutive test results on the same date agree with a difference which is not more than 3% of the mean value of the tests. This criterion is to be applied to blood alcohol levels of 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 mL and higher.
    (b) Except for gas chromatography, the method should be calibrated with water solutions of ethyl alcohol, the strength of which should be determined by an oxidimetric method which employs a primary standard, such as United States National Bureau of Standards potassium dichromate.
    (c) The method will give a test result which is always less than 0.005 grams of alcohol per 100 mL when alcohol-free living subjects are tested.
    (2) Specificity.
    (a) On living subjects, the method should be free from interferences native to the sample, such as therapeutics and preservatives; or the oxidizable material which is being measured by the reaction should be identified by qualitative test.
    (b) Blood alcohol results on post-mortem samples should not be reported unless the oxidizable substance is identified as ethanol by qualitative test.
    [Statutory Authority: RCW 46.61.506. WSR 10-24-067, § 448-14-010, filed 11/30/10, effective 12/31/10; Order 4, § 448-14-010, filed 7/9/70; Emergency and Permanent Order 3, § 448-14-010, filed 9/23/69.]
RCW 46.61.506. WSR 10-24-067, § 448-14-010, filed 11/30/10, effective 12/31/10; Order 4, § 448-14-010, filed 7/9/70; Emergency and Permanent Order 3, § 448-14-010, filed 9/23/69.