Alcohol breath testers don’t actually measure Blood Alcohol Concentration
ARRESTED FOR DUI?DON’T TAKE IT SITTING DOWN!
Alcohol breath testers don’t actually measure Blood Alcohol Concentration(BAC), which can only be done by analyzing a sample of blood. They attempt to measure alcohol in the breath in order to estimate the concentration of alcohol in the blood. That’s why not all states permit their use.
In reality, alcohol breath testers detect any chemical compounds that contain the methyl group in its molecular structure. Unfortunately, there are thousands of such compounds. Many occur naturally in the human breath or are picked up from disease; inhaling fumes from gasoline, glue, paint, paint remover, “new car smell,” celluloid, cleaning fluids, etc.
Breath testers also assume as constants certain ratios within the human body that actually vary widely from person to person and within the same person over time. For example, many breath-testing machines assume a 2,100-to-1 ratio in converting alcohol in the breath to estimates of alcohol in the blood. However, this ratio varies from 1,900 to 2,400 among people and also within a person over time. This variation will lead to false BAC readings. Some breath analysis machines assume a hematocrit (cell volume of blood) of 47%. However, hematocrit values range from 42 to 52% in men and from 37 to 47% in women. A person with a lower hematocrit will have a falsely high BAC reading. These machines appear to discriminate against female suspects. For more visit Breath Analyzer Accuracy.
Alcohol breath machines are really BAC estimators.
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