AccuDiagnostics

Posts Tagged ‘Breathalyzers’

Post Accident Breathalyzer Test

19.2 million American workers drink alcohol before and during work. The occupations showing the highest use of alcohol on the job are in the areas of management, sales, arts/entertainment/sports/media, food preparation, serving, construction, transportation, machine operators and inspectors, and grounds maintenance. Another group, who are more likely to drink before coming to work, is employees working shifts other than a regular day shift.

13,000 Americans die from alcohol-related crashes and almost another 500,000 suffer from injuries. From the alcohol-related accidents, 3 out of 10 people will be involved in this type of crash in their lifetime. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages 2-14 and around 20% of the accidents are alcohol-related.

With these sobering statistics, post-accident alcohol testing is important to perform if an employee is involved in an automobile accident. Post-accident alcohol tests must be performed if a citation is given or there are fatalities according to the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. AccuDiagnostics can save companies time and money by performing on-site alcohol tests where the accident occurred. Alcohol testing services are available 24-hours a day through AccuDiagnostics.

The AccuDiagnostics post accident alcohol tests are conducted by breath alcohol technicians (BAT) and breathalyzers are NHTSA approved. The breathalyzer tests give immediate results with a person breathing into the machine. From a person’s breath, the blood alcohol content can be measured. Tests do not have to be analyzed at a lab, which saves businesses money when alcohol tests are performed at the accident site. AccuDiagnostics, also, offer BAT certification courses that are overseen by BAT/STT certified instructors. Other training available through AccuDiagnostics is breath alcohol test and DOT compliance training.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.

Breathalyzers are the most common form of alcohol testing. It is most commonly used by law enforcement in testing suspected drunk drivers for alcohol levels.

All types of breath alcohol concentration devices have become known as Breathalyzers, regardless whether that is their official title or not. These include three main categories: evidential breath testing devices, portable hand-held devices, and disposable devices.

Evidential Breath Testing Devices

Evidential breath testing devices produce forensic quality results. That means that a confirmed positive or negative reading from these devices is legally admissible in court. A single evidential breath testing device can sell for $5,000 or more. These also require regular maintenance, repair and calibration. Results are only legally admissible when the device is controlled by a certified operator. The unit is very heavy and is designed as a stationary, table top device. Any movement can cause a critical change in calibration which puts the device out of commission until the maintenance can be performed.

It is for these reasons that the evidential devices are typically found only in laboratories and other similar facilities.

Portable Breath Testing Devices

Portable devices are not considered forensic quality because their results are generally less accurate than that of evidential devices. A limited number of tests can be conducted every hour as the device requires a recovery time between tests for accuracy.  Due to their portable nature, these devices tend to sustain frequent damage and require frequent repair.

Disposable Breath Tests

Disposable tests are proving to be accurate, cost-effective alternatives to these tests. The cost is considerably less than traditional forms of the breath alcohol content testing, and the disposable test strips eliminate previous concerns about cross contamination resulting from repeated use.

Disposable units are remarkably easy to operate. When the test is administered properly, the test strip will turn a different color if alcohol is present in the breath. The test recognizes the presence of alcohol when the alcohol level is .02% or greater. The more significant the color change, the higher the subject’s blood alcohol level is. It is recommended to follow a positive disposable test with a certified, forensic-quality evidential test.

How They Work

There is a direct correlation between a person’s blood alcohol concentration and his or her breath alcohol concentration. While an intoxicated person exhales, alcohol in the blood vaporizes and is carried out of the body.

The main premise of a breathalyzer is to measure the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream by measuring the amount of alcohol in the breath. This method works because scientific studies have shown that every 2,100 milliliters of exhaled air contain the same amount of alcohol as 1 milliliter of blood. For most of the United States, the standard legal limit is .08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.