“Breathalyzer Buying Guide: 9 Things You Should Know About Personal Breathalyzers”
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BreathKey Frequently Asked Questions
Can the BreathKey be shared?
Sharing Your BreathKey
A breathalyzer that uses a flow sensor and direct contact with the mouth will provide a deep-lung sample and give a more accurate reading. Since the air that is deepest in your lungs has the highest concentration of alcohol, a deep-lung sample will provide the most accurate blood alcohol content reading. Breathalyzers with a flow sensor make sure that a person keeps blowing until the breath that is exhaled from the deepest part of the lungs is used for the measurement.
Breathalyzers that do not require direct mouth contact (ones that you hold at a distance and blow across) do not provide for a deep-lung sample and thus are less accurate and less consistent. The BreathKey has a flow sensor and provides a deep-lung sample. Thus it was designed to be a personal device, so for hygienic reasons it is not meant to be shared among individuals.
Many larger hand-held breathalyzers, including those used by law enforcement, use disposable mouthpieces. While this allows for their use by multiple individuals, there is an inconvenience in that the mouthpieces must be carried around with the breathalyzer, and they must be cleaned or replaced regularly.
There are also coin-operated breathalyzers available on the market. Many establishments where alcohol is served possess a wall unit that provides disposable mouth pieces so that the breathalyzer can be used by multiple individuals. These coin-operated units tend not to be well maintained, however, and are thus not very accurate.
There are also a variety of disposable breathalyzers available that sell for a few dollars per use. These products simply reveal a color change when your breath is above a predetermined BAC level.
Following the manufacturer’s recommendations for a breathalyzer, maintaining the unit, using the item regularly and knowing how your own body responds to alcohol will result in the most accurate measurements of your intoxication level.
