“Breathalyzer Buying Guide: 9 Things You Should Know About Personal Breathalyzers”
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Breath Testing
The history of breath testing is not as recent as the advanced breath testing devices now commonly used. Alcohol breath testing was realized as early as the 1940’s. Back then the tester was called the drunkometer. Evidence has been found that links testing for alcohol in a person’s breath to as early as 1874.
All states use some form of blood alcohol content (BAC) testing when a driver is suspected of drunk driving. The easiest and most affordable method is by using a breath testing system, which often is used for random breath testing as well.
The other three methods of testing for alcohol content are through an actual blood draw, urine sample or saliva sample. The obvious problems urine and blood testing methods present are the length of time it takes to calculate results, not to mention the occasional mix up in lab results. The saliva sample also takes time to process in a lab, but is less expensive than a blood or urine sample.
Although the earlier versions of breath testing were crude and often produced inaccurate results (in terms of the breathalyzer, false positive is a commonly used term), using a breathing mechanism was still faster than the urine or blood test.
Today, a breathalyzer with a fuel cell alcohol sensor is the best technology available to measure alcohol levels in an individual. With this advanced technology it is still possible to get erroneous results, but is far less likely than in the 1940’s.
It’s commonly thought that the more expensive an item is, the better it works and less likely it is to provide inaccurate results, but this line of thinking does not necessarily apply to all breath testing devices which rely on the fuel cell sensor.
Although the price may vary by design, supply, casing, portability and even durability, an inexpensive breathalyzer can still produce accurate results. If used correctly, a majority of these devices will provide reliable breath testing results.
