PA DUI Attorney Justin McShane to Lecture at the 18th Annual Mastering Scientific Evidence in DWI/DUI Cases I have worked extremely hard to become the best DUI Attorney I can be and have been recognized for this by DUI lawyers all over the country. One of the highest forms of recognition is being asked to…
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PA DUI Attorney Hosts Webinar on DUI Science
PA DUI Attorney Hosts Webinar on Analytical Chemistry Understanding analytical chemistry is a big part of challenging DUI blood tests. That is why I have invested time and effort into becoming an expert in DUI Science. I also believe in helping other lawyers to become better at DUI defense and that is why I recently…
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Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer Attends ACS Chromatography Training
Recently the American Chemical Society (ACS) held a five day intensive course on Gas Chromatography (GC). Gas Chromatography is used for DUI blood testing right here in Pennsylvania and around the country. Any DUI lawyer worth his/her salt should be well versed in how Gas Chromatography works and how it can yield erroneously high blood…
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DUI Blood Testing Review
I have blogged a lot on Blood Testing for DUI and specifically Gas Chromatography for alcohol (ETOH) or drugs of abuse testing used in DUI prosecutions. Some people ask: Justin, your posts are so hyper-technical, why do you post such detailed stuff? When you are facing a Pennsylvania DUI, possible consequences include jail time,…
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When tall and skinny is always beautiful? Fundamental principles of gas chromatography
It is true. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Every year they have the world’s ugliest dog contest where invariably the reporters report on this event and blast the picture of the world’s ugliest dog all over the internet. Invariably comments come from all across the world that the dog isn’t…
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How do they make the squiggly lines turn into a magic number: Area under the peak
One of the aspects of my job that I really enjoy is explaining the science of Blood Alcohol Concentration and/or reported levels of Drugs of Abuse to normal everyday folks, judges, jurors, prosecutors and even fellow attorneys. One of the most common questions I get asked is in the area of gas chromatography. Just yesterday…
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Internal standard the likely culprit for inaccurate BAC results
OK so you followed our recent series on the Carry-Over Effect problem that can lead to inaccurate Blood Alcohol Content results in the posts: A large problem in Gas Chromatography: No uniform standard for GC run position or composition The Carry-over Effect: Lack of Blanks between tests leads to false positive or inflated BAC results…
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In analytical chemistry for ETOH and Drugs of Abuse determination, it is very true that the matrix is all around us but truly is ignored
Keanu Reeves in the movie The Matrix noted that the matrix is all around us, you just haven’t chosen to see it. He had no idea that his statement would hold true in analytical testing for ETOH and drugs of abuse testing in DUI prosecution as well. The matrix is the substrate form which we…
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The variables of the Gas Chromatography process
I have posted before on Gas Chromatography and its principles. Gas Chromatography and why is it is so important to Pennsylvania DUI arrests Crimping a Headspace Vial in Gas Chromatography: How not putting the "lid on the jar" can lead to disaster in a DUI case A large problem in Gas Chromatography: No uniform standard…
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If he was an analytical chemist or a DUI defense attorney he would say “Show me the separation!!”
Who can forget Cuba Gooding Junior in the movie Jerry McGuire shouting “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”??? If he was an analytical chemist or a DUI defense attorney facing a purported result from a Headspace Gas Chromatograph with a Flame Ionization Detector, he would yell: “SHOW ME THE SEPARATION!!!!!!” Well, that is one of the things that a…
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