The Importance Of Breathalyzers And How They Function

What Is A Breathalyzer?

A breathalyzer is actually a brand name that has become a generic term. The actual word for that machine is a breath analyzer. It is a machine that contains an anode which is a negatively charged electrode along with a cathode that is a positively charged electrode.

As soon as you blow into the breathalyzer, if you have recently then alcohol, then the ethanol in your breath will react with the atmospheric water in the anode end and oxidize to form acetic acid just like in vinegar. The right way to blow air into a breathalyzer makes it easier for people to stop and protect their lives and drink-and-drive cases get reduced to the best extent.

The two reactions will produce an electrical current between the two electrodes in proportion to the amount of ethanol in your breath. If you analyze deeply, you will understand that breathalyzers do not measure the amount of alcohol in your blood. That can only be done with a proper blood test. There is an indicator and a measuring meter that allows one to have the right idea about any drunken cases, as this machine can instantly detect chemicals and also go for oxidation of ethanol.

Loopholes In A Breathalyzer Test

Breathalyzers do not always give accurate measurements. It sometimes fails to detect the exact amount or genuinely in a person with no alcohol consumption. Diabetics may have a high level of ethanol in their breath or even people who follow ketogenic diets or people on diets.

So a breathalyzer cannot be taken to be a piece of equipment that can be totally dependent on. There are many other substances that can hamper the recording of accurate readings.

Importance Of Breathalyzers

The breathalyzer is considered to be one of the most important pieces of equipment that today’s police officers depend on. There are different types of alcohol breath tests that are held, but due to some physical activities and processes of hyperventilation, some of the test results might also vary.

Today’s youngsters and even adults are very heavily into drinking. They immediately take to the wheel which is a cause for the majority of road accidents. So it is of utmost importance that any person suspected of drunk driving must be put through the tests.

Why Should Be Breathalyzers Be Used?

What is intoxication by alcohol? It is legally defined as the concentration of alcohol in the blood. So, when a person is found to be with that he has to take a test. But there lies no meaning in the tests if the samples are collected now and they are done later. And here a breathalyzer is of utmost importance because of the immediacy with which it can be conducted.

The Working Principle Of A Breathalyzer

A drunk person’s breath shows the alcohol consumption as it gets soaked up from the mouth, stomach, intestine and throat. Finally, it passes into the bloodstream. The alcohol that is consumed cannot be digested nor can it be chemically changed.  Even if there is a margin of error that might occur, it can only be 15%. The alcohol concentrations in the blood and alveoli air are the same. However, if a person uses over the counter medication and uses oral gels from some companies, then there can be a problem with the test.

So when this air is expelled from the alveoli sac through the mouth, it gets detected by means of the breathalyzer that the police carry with them on-field.

Conclusion

Breathalyzers are of three types namely the common breathalyzer, intoxilyzer and the alcosensor III or IV. All the devices are more or less the same. But the first type is most commonly used by the police to detect drunk driving as it is very handy and portable.