A Breathalyzer is a device that is used for estimating an individual’s blood alcohol content from a breath sample. The Breathalyzer was developed in 1953 from the first practical roadside breath-testing device called the Drunkometer. That product was invented by Robert Borkenstein, a captain with the Indiana State Police and later a professor at Indiana University at Bloomington. Borkenstein revolutionized the enforcement of drunk driving laws by allowing police officers to measure the proportion of alcohol vapors that are exhaled, which reflects the content of alcohol in the blood.
Prior to the Breathalyzer, police officers would look for a car that was weaving across lanes between traffic and conduct some field tests to determine if an individual was intoxicated. The did not have any qualitative data verifying that an individual was intoxicated. This made it difficult for evidence to hold up in court. Once put into widespread use the Breathalyzer provided scientific evidence of intoxication.
The first place that alcohol is absorbed is within the tissues of the mouth and when fully ingested, it passes from the stomach into the small intestine. From there it is rapidly absorbed into the blood and then distributed throughout the body. The chemical structure cannot be metabolized and remains unaltered and intact. As blood flows into the lungs, alcohol readily evaporates and is released with carbon dioxide that leaves the lung as oxygen replaces it. The concentration of alcohol in the expelled air is related to the amount of alcohol present in the blood. The Breathalyzer measures breath alcohol concentration using a fuel cell gas sensor that is specific to alcohol molecules.
While Breathalyzers demonstrate accuracy in the amount of alcohol expelled through breath, there are many independent variables that can be present at any given time. The debate of the accuracy of Breathalyzers has been a long one, and some courts have been divided on whether to view results as always accurate.
According to a judge in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Breathalyzers might hold some significance in proving a party guilty but might also mislead a judge to an erroneous conclusion where the clinical data in the field sobriety test could suggest innocence. A review of breathalyzers used by police in Port Moody, B.C., in 2011 indicated that over a dozen of the devices were not properly calibrated resulting in the tests being invalid. In Weymouth, Massachusetts, two high school girls sued the school system over their Breathalyzer-related suspensions and the school system admittedly stated that the practice isn’t well documented.
Breathalyzers recognize ethyl alcohol found in alcoholic beverages but also identifies other substances that are similar in molecular structure. Breathalyzers can pick up any molecular structure similar in the environment as well and also can be sensitive to temperature and will give false readings.
