The basic formula for estimating a person's blood alcohol concentration derives from the work done by Dr. Erik Widmark in the early 1930s. Advancements in this technical area have lead to refinements in Widmark's basic calculation formula. The particular formula used here incorporates a BAC calculation procedure provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration courtesy of Herbert Moskowitz, Ph.D., a noted alcohol researcher.

    The basis for the calculations are the established physiological facts that alcohol distributes itself in the total water of the body, and that it is disposed of primarily by metabolism in the liver. The procedure takes into account the amount of body water in males and females, and the range of metabolic rates to be found in the population.