A breathalyzer is a tool commonly used by law enforcement to estimate the blood alcohol content of a person. They are portable, simple to use, non-invasive; and their results are often used by the court systems when a person is charged with drunk driving. They can also be purchased for personal use by the general public.

Determining true blood alcohol content does require analyzing a blood sample. However, the alcohol breathalyzer is able to accurately estimate what that level is by measuring the amount of alcohol that is on a person’s breath. When an officer of the law asks a person to take a test in the field, they are actually being given a preliminary breath test or a PBT.

There was a time when someone could refuse to take the field PBT. However, some states have now adopted the stance that, if one refuses to submit to the test, that person is automatically considered guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The machines are not able to take into account a person’s sex, height, metabolism, weight, or how recently they have eaten. They are meant to measure the immediate amount of alcohol in the system. Not all machines are completely reliable in separating and detecting different methyl compounds. Acetone can be high in diabetics, meaning the machine would give a false positive reading. Likewise, engaging in heavy, physical activity right before a test can lower the reading by 25%. However, units with fuel-cell sensor technology reduce these false positives because Brand Cialis of their highly specific nature.

There is a growing trend to purchase breathalyzers for personal use. They can be used by anyone who has had a drink with dinner so they can assure themselves that they are truly capable of driving without creating any incidents or accidents on the roadway. The devices can also be valuable teaching tools for young adults to help them learn the affect of alcohol on their bodies.

When purchasing a unit for personal use, be sure that it is FDA cleared. A unit that has FDA 510(k) clearance is one that is considered safe to use, effective, and accurate. The Breath Sample Collection is an important factor of any unit. The mouthpiece allows the sample to be obtained, but there can be other features in the unit that will affect this collection. For instance, some have miniature air pumps that will actively draw in the sample. Finally, sensor quality can vary between manufacturers so the brand does matter. Whichever unit is chosen, the manufacturer should be researched to be sure they are offering a quality product that will give accurate results.

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Category: Health
Keywords: breath alcohol analyzer