How Alcohol Testing Devices Work
How Alcohol Testing Devices Work
Drunk driving in America has been one of the major causes of road accidents. To minimize such tendency, the government is strict in implementing the law against driving under the influence (DUI). Violation to such law subjects the driver to penalties or imprisonment. DUI is determined if the person is proved to be drunk while driving. This is indicated by the established blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. All states in the U.S. employ the .08 BAC minimum level. This means that if a person has .08 BAC, he is violating the law on drunk driving. But how does law enforcer figure out the BAC level of a person?
Breath Alcohol Testing Device
When a driver is suspected of drunk driving, he undergoes certain alcohol testing. Most alcohol testing is conducted by law enforcers through the use of devices. Naturally, an alcohol level can be tested by urine samples or blood samples. However, it is not practical to conduct the laboratory test when a driver is stopped by the enforcer on the road. They don’t have to go to a clinic just to get the urine or blood. What the enforcer rather have is a breath alcohol testing device where he can measure the alcohol level of the person by the breath.
The principle behind this device is that alcohol level in the bloodstream is the same as in the breath. Alcohol, when absorbed in the body, does not change chemically. As alcohol is absorbed in the blood stream, it also enters the air sacs in the lungs and released in the breath.
There are many types of breath alcohol testing devices. Each type has different indication of the alcohol level. However it is determined, all types have a mouthpiece where the suspected person has to breathe out. The three major types of alcohol testing device are:
– Breathalyzer. This device shows green color in the chemical on its built-in vial when the breath with alcohol mixes with it. The Breathalyzer has a measurement of alcohol level based on the extent of change in the color of the chemicals.
– Intoxilyzer. This type of breathe alcohol testing device uses IR (infrared) spectroscopy. This works by a lamp that generates the infrared light. To identify alcohol on the sample, the user should look at the wavelength of the alcohol bond and see the measure of absorption of light. The IR absorption measures the level of alcohol in the sample and the microprocessor determines the BAC level.
– Alcosensor III or IV. This device uses fuel cells to detect the level of alcohol in the breath. The more alcohol it oxidizes, the higher the electrical current in the device. The built in microprocessor will determine the BAC level of alcohol in the breathe sample.
All in all, the alcohol level is determined when it reacts with certain chemical or processes in the devices. The result of BAC in the suspected driver will be determined within seconds. From there, the enforcer will have the basis to arrest a suspected violator of DUI.
This Article is written by Lena Butler, the author of Home Testing Kits a longer version of this article is located at How Alcohol Testing Devices Work, and resources from other home health and wellness testing articles are used such as Alcohol Testing.
Article from articlesbase.com
Related Alcoholism Test Articles