A review of 4,102 autopsies was carried out during 1989-1991 at the Medical Examiner Office in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to determine the frequency of high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in fatal injuries, and the importance of alcohol consumption as a risk factor in homicide. Males showed the highest proportion of positive BAC in every event and age group. BAC > or = 0.001 g/ml was most frequently positive in homicides (56%), followed by unintentional injuries (45%) and suicides (35%). After adjusting for age, sex and year of autopsy, the differences were statistically significant.