BREATH TESTING--SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MEDICO-LEGAL COMMENTS

ZUR PROBLEMATIK DER ATEMALKOHOLBESTIMMUNG

In general it should be possible to derive blood alcohol concentrations from breath alcohol analysis i.e. the breath alcohol analysis should permit conclusions to be drawn with regard to the blood alcohol concentration, customarily determined by examining blood from the cubital vein. Pre-requisites for this purpose are: (1) a precise technique to quantitatively and qualitatively determine the alcohol content of breath air. A survey of older and newer devices confirms that this criterium has by and large been fulfilled or has apparently been fulfilled; (2) knowledge of the alcohol distribution during the resorption and elimination phases, especially the alcohol concentration ratio that exists between lung capillary blood and cubital vein blood; (3) a knowledge of the alveolar air alcohol concentration in comparison to the lung capillary blood alcohol concentration; (4) a knowledge of the expired air composition under: (a) various respiratory techniques, (b) different temperatures, (c) various physiological factors, (d) pathological pre-conditions, and their influences upon the alcohol concentration ratio between expired and alveolar air. Although requirement (1) is or can be fulfilled, many relationships in requirements (2) to (4) are not sufficiently clear, especially the requirements (3) and (4), thus, there exists no precise basis for assessing the numerous results of in vivo experiments at the moment. Therefore, at present, the use of breath alcohol determinations cannot replace the blood alcohol determination, at least for forensic purposes. With further intensive studies a sufficient reliability may be obtained to justify the determination of blood alcohol concentrations from breath analyses even if only for the study of physiological and psychological factors in alcohol experiments.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Roadside Surveys--Proceedings of the Satellite Conference to the 8th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety 23-25 June 1980, Umea, Sweden held in association with the International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and organised by the Department of Forensic Medicine, Umea University, Umea.
• Corporate Authors:

  Dokumentationscentralen foer Alkohol- Och

  Narkotikaforskning, CAN, P.O. Box 27302
  Stockholm,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • Gruener, O
• Conference:
  • Roadside Surveys--Proceedings of the Satellite Conference to the 8th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety held in association with the International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and
  • Location: Umea , Sweden
  • Date: 1980-6-23 to 1980-6-25
• Publication Date: 1982

Language

• German

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 152-171

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol breath tests; Alternatives analysis; Blood alcohol levels; Diseases and medical conditions; Legal factors; Physiological aspects; Testing equipment
• Subject Areas: Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00396590
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 593
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 31 1985 12:00AM