Section 104 Energy Drinks

• Library: DWI Experts and the Science of Chemical Tests 2014

A 2009 published study tested 11 energy drinks to see if they could cause positive alcohol-drinking events on the SCRAM^® II device. Jessica Ayala et al., Quantitative Determination of Caffeine and Alcohol in Energy Drinks and the Potential to Produce Positive Transdermal Alcohol Concentrations in Human Subjects, 33 J. ANALYTICAL TOXICOLOGY 27 (2009). Ethanol concentrations from the energy drinks ranged “from 0.03 to 0.230% (w/v) and caffeine content per 8-ounce serving ranged from 65 to 126 mg.” Id. Fifteen test subjects participated in the study, with each of the subjects consuming between 6 and 8 energy drinks over an 8-hour period. The SCRAM^® II monitoring device was used to determine TACs (transdermal alcohol concentrations) every 30 minutes before, during, and after the study. The results were that no energy drink consumed at the rate determined in this study produced any positive alcohol events (TAC of > 0.02 g/dL (grams per deciliter)).

This study had a one-drink-per-hour-or-less drinking rate. What if the subject drank several energy drinks within one hour? This study only proves...