There are still many misconceptions about what a breath alcohol meter can and cannot do, and how to “beat” it when being tested on the road. Here are the concepts and facts.
False: Breath fresheners, mints, and mouthwashes can mask alcohol and/or lower the alcohol content (BAC) number.
Reality:
Look carefully before rinsing. Fresh breath products such as gum, mints or mouth spray can mask the smell of alcohol, but they cannot change the concentration of alcohol on your breath. Some mouthwashes even contain alcohol, and so can increase the BAC.
Holding your breath before blowing into an alcohol meter increases BAC readings by up to 20%.
Wrong: It is possible to “trick” the blower by sucking a coin
Reality:
This “legend” is surprisingly widespread, and also completely false. Putting a coin or any other coin under the tongue does not affect the breath result. There is also no medicine that can do this, not even herbal medicine, activated charcoal, garlic or snake oil.
False: Blower is not as sensitive in smokers as it is in non-smokers.
Reality:
Acetaldehyde is an organic compound that has significantly higher levels in the lungs of smokers than non-smokers. Some less expensive semiconductor blowers can be affected by particularly high concentrations of acetaldehyde, but professional blowers are sensitive enough not to be disabled by this compound.
False: It is possible to “beat” the blower by panting, exercising, or holding your breath before blowing.
Reality:
One often cited study of decades found that hypoventilation and heavy exercise actually reduced lower subjects’ BACs by up to 10%. In contrast, holding the breath increased the subject’s BAC by up to 20%. Unfortunately, these activities can also cause slight dizziness and shortness of breath – a behavior that is sure to attract the attention of law enforcement officers who suspect the person is under the influence of beer. alcohol. In addition, not blowing hard on the ventilator has little effect, as the air pump technology found in professional blowers can provide accurate BAC readings even with small breath samples.
Wrong: The blower only measures alcohol – and nothing else.
Reality:
Substances that contain small amounts of alcohol can cause false-positive results, such as some mouthwashes and toothache relievers. In addition, some personal ventilators can measure compounds with a molecular structure similar to alcohol, such as acetone, in the breath of diabetics and people on high-protein diets. False results can also be caused by paint fumes, varnishes, cleaning chemicals containing alcohol, and some plastics and adhesives.
Wrong: The blower is always 100% accurate.
Reality:
All commercial blower products can reliably determine if alcohol is present in a breath sample. But the accuracy of breath test results can vary significantly.
Blower models are generally divided into two categories: personal use or professional use. The professional blower is extremely accurate and sensitive, and uses advanced fuel cell sensor technology like the kind used by law enforcement for road alcohol testing. Because prices for handheld devices have fallen in recent years, they are increasingly popular for personal use. All blowers must be calibrated periodically to maintain accuracy, otherwise BAC readings may be affected.