Breath Analyzers by Traffic Police
How does a breath analyser work?
Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and reaches the lungs along with the blood. Since alcohol is volatile, it evaporates through alveoli, the tiny sacks in a lung where blood swaps carbon di-oxide with oxygen. A breath analyzer calculates this alcohol content and gives out a reading.Are these analysers accurate? How can one calculate blood alcohol count by analyzing the breath?
Yes, the analysers are accurate. There are standardised calculations with which blood alcohol content can be accurately measured by analyzing alcohol content in a person's breath. Eating breath fresheners like clove or mint reduces the possibility of getting caught. No, you cannot hoodwink a breath analyzer by eating breath fresheners. The analyser's reading can be manipulated by the force with which we blow into its pipe. The latest analysers have a provision to indicate if you are breathing out with enough force. Police will not clear you till the time the analyser gets enough breath to give out a reading. Blowing into a breath analyzer is unhygienic as everyone uses the same pipe. City police assures that each person will be given a separate straw to use. You can demand for a fresh straw and can refuse to use the machine till the time you are satisfied.
Source: The Hindu
