Cardioteratogenic dose of ethanol in the chick embryo results in albumin ethanol concentrations comparable to human blood alcohol levels

Three‐day‐old chick embryos (Hamburger‐Hamilton stages 18–19) were exposed to a dose of ethyl alcohol (0.32 ml of 50% ethanol) that causes cardiac malformations in 96.6% of the animals. Ethanol was administered into the air sac after 72–80 h of incubation. Samples of albumin at the opposite pole of the egg were drawn 0–50 h after treatment and quantitated for ethanol concentration with capillary gas‐liquid chromatography. Ethanol concentrations in the albumin increased significantly (P < 0.05) at 2, 5 and 15 h after injection of ethanol, reached a maximum mean ethanol concentration at 20 h (217.3 ± 23.5 mg dl−1), decreased significantly at 30 h to 175.4 ± 27.5 mg dl−1, then increased again and stabilized at 40–50 h. Individual sample concentrations ranged from 0 mg dl−1 (at 0.5–2 h) to 286.5 mg dl−1 at 40 h. Ethanol concentrations in the albumin were comparable to human blood alcohol levels during intoxication ( > 150 mg dl−1). Our results suggest that a potent cardioteratogenic dose of ethanol in the chick embryo is reasonable in terms of potential human embryo exposure.