concentration that is defined as legal intoxication in the US (0.08%) corresponds to 17 mM ethanol. The oxidation of acetaldehyde is extremely efficient, such that circulating levels of acetaldehyde are usually more than 1000-fold less; they are generally barely detectable, ≤ 3 μM (Mizoi et al., 1994, Peng et al., 2014a, Harada et al., 1983, Nuutinen et al., 1984), although they are higher in liver (~15 μM after ingestion of 0.8 g/kg ethanol) (Nuutinen et al., 1984).
