/oss/taxonomy/term/709/all en /oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-breathalyzers-dont-directly-measure-your-blood-alcohol-concentration <p><span>The term “alcohol” to a chemist  means an organic compound that contains an OH group, but as far as the public is concerned “alcohol” refers to one specific compound, namely, ethanol. It is ethanol that we consume in wine or beer, and when we measure blood alcohol content (BAC), we’re really measuring blood ethanol content.</span></p> Sun, 11 Mar 2018 17:54:14 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6960 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-you-asked/what-lactose-intolerance <p>Gas, bloating, stomach pains...that’s what some people experience after drinking milk. And we’re not talking about an occasional problem; some seventy percent of the world’s population can’t handle lactose, the naturally occurring sugar responsible for the sweet taste of cow’s milk. The reason is a deficiency in the enzyme, beta-galactosidase (better known as lactase), which is essential for breaking lactose down into its components of glucose and galactose. If this isn’t done, the undigested lactose moves into the large intestine where bacteria use it as food.</p> Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:01:23 +0000 OSS 1775 at /oss