BREATH ALCOHOL SAMPLING SIMULATOR (BASS) FOR QUALIFICATION TESTING OF BREATH ALCOHOL MEASUREMENT DEVICES

The blood alcohol content of an individual suspected of driving while intoxicated is often measured through the analysis of a breath sample using an evidential breath tester (EBT). Two factors determine the ability of an EBT to provide an accurate analysis of alcohol concentration: (a) the capability of obtaining an appropriate breath sample, and (b) the inherent accuracy of the analytical instrument. This report characterizes the relevant breath parameters and describes a breath alcohol sample simulator (BASS) that was developed as a means of reproducing accurate equivalents of human breath. The report discusses measurements made on human subjects to establish values for parameters the BASS must accommodate, and to demonstrate the validity of the BASS as a replacement for human drinking subjects with different levels of alcohol content and a range of physiological characteristics.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored in part by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC. Prepared in cooperation with Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, MA. Paper copy available from Supt. of Docs.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Bureau of Standards

  Gaithersburg, MD  United States 

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Flores, A
  • Eliason, L K
  • Wu, Y C
• Publication Date: 1981-7

Media Info

• Pagination: 34 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Alcohol breath tests; Alcoholism; Blood alcohol levels; Blood analysis; Drivers; Measuring instruments; Physiological aspects; Respiratory system; Sampling; Simulation; Training simulators
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00344801
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NBS-SP-480-41
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 22 2003 12:00AM