Breathalyzers are devices that estimate blood alcohol content (BAC) or detect viruses or diseases from a breath sample.

 

Breathalyzers

Breathalyzers are devices that utilise a person's breath to assess their blood alcohol levels. Probation departments, police departments, correctional houses, and the business sector all use these devices. Breath analyzers do not directly assess blood alcohol content or concentration, hence a blood sample must be analysed. Instead, they measure the amount of alcohol in one's breath to determine BAC indirectly.

There are two types of breathalysers that are often utilised. Small hand-held breathalysers aren't accurate enough to be used in court, but they're good enough to support an arrest. Larger Breathalyzers equipment, such as those used in police stations, can then be utilised in court to provide evidence. The most common breathalyser technology are: Infrared spectrophotometer technology, electrochemical fuel cell technology, or a combination of the two are commonly used in desktop analyzers.

Hand-held field testing devices are based on electrochemical platinum fuel cell analysis and, depending on jurisdiction, may be used by officers in the field as a form of "field sobriety test," also known as "preliminary breath test" or "preliminary alcohol screening," or as evidential devices in point of arrest testing. A preliminary non-evidentiary screening device can be designated as an approved screening device by Parliament in Canada, and an evidentiary breath instrument can be designated as an approved instrument in the same way. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States maintains a Conforming Products List of breath alcohol devices that have been certified for both evidential and preliminary screening purposes.

Small hand-held breath analyzers are used in the preliminary breath test or preliminary alcohol screening test (hand-held breathalyzers). These devices are comparable to evidential breathalysers, although they are not calibrated as often as evidentiary breathalysers. (The words "preliminary breath test" ("PBT") and "preliminary alcohol screening test" are interchangeable.) Although the gadget includes "pass/fail" indications in certain circumstances, the test instrument offers numerical blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results. For example, in Canada, PST devices known as "alcohol screening devices" are programmed to display numerals from 0 to 49 mg percent, the phrase "warn" from 50 to 99 mg percent, and "fail" from 100 mg percent and above.