A BREATH ALCOHOL ADSORPTION TUBE COMPATIBLE WITH HEAD SPACE GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR BLOOD ALCOHOL ANALYSIS

A reliable method of breath testing for alcohol could make blood sampling unnecessary giving the police immediate information. The article describes an instrument using a tube of calcium sulphate, comparing its performance with that of a standard infra-red "intoxilyser". Gas chromatographic analysis of headspace vapour is used to determine peak height and area. The results are compared with those from at least three calibrations of different alcohol concentrations. Results are given from laboratory tests using the alcohol breath simulator and also from twenty-two tests on human subjects. In the live tests, good correlation was obtained in a direct comparison with results from the infra-red "intoxilyser". The tests used a sample of 52.5 cc because this is the volume collected by the "breathalyser". A 210 cc sample, which could be collected, would be preferable so that the analysis would be equivalent to that of 0.1 cc of blood. /TRRL/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11198060
• Corporate Authors:

  International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine

  Huddinge University Hospital Center, Traffic Medicine Center
  Stockholm,   Sweden  141 86
• Authors:
  • BORKENSTEIN, R F
  • Dubowski, K M
• Publication Date: 1977-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 29-31
• Serial:
  • Journal of traffic medicine
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine
  • ISSN: 0345-5564

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol breath tests; Blood alcohol levels; Calcium; Gas chromatography; Laboratory tests; Measuring instruments; Sulfates
• ITRD Terms: 1542: Alcohol test; 6155: Apparatus (measuring); 7178: Calcium; 7310: Sulphate
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172526
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 28 1978 12:00AM