ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF BREATH ALCOHOL MEASUREMENTS FOR SUBJECTS IN THE ABSORPTIVE STATE

Published data are analyzed in order to estimate the accuracy of breath-alcohol measurements for subjects during absorption of orally ingested ethanol. Simultaneous measurements of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and venous blood alcohol concentration (VBAC) show that actual VBAC can be overestimated by more than 100% for a significant amount of time after drinking stops. The maximum error found for 4 individual subjects is plus 230 %, plus 190 percent, plus 60 %, and plus 30 %. These errors indicate that results from quantitative evidential breath alcohol analyzers are far less accurate for the absorptive state than they are during the postabsorptive state, but the specifications for accuracy and precision given by manufacturers of these instruments do not reflect this. The results also indicate that there is a significant likelihood that subjects will be in the absorptive state when tested under field conditions. It is concluded that estimates of BAC based on BrAC measurements are not reliable in the absorptive state and that the uncertainty associated with such estimates should be accounted for, particularly when the results are used in connection with law enforcement.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00099147
• Corporate Authors:

  American Association for Clinical Chemistry

  P.O. Box 5218
  Winston-Salem, NC  United States  27113
• Authors:
  • Simpson, G
• Publication Date: 1987

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 753-756
• Serial:
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Volume: 33
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: American Association for Clinical Chemistry
  • ISSN: 0009-9147
  • Serial URL: http://www.clinchem.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Alcohol breath tests; Alcoholic beverages; Blood alcohol levels; Law enforcement; Measuring instruments
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I51: Earthworks and Soil Drainage; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00478922
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 31 1989 12:00AM