Everyone wants to know how they can beat the breathalyzer. And people have long theorized about different ways to change their blood alcohol reading on a roadside breathalyzer for the better. Some methods, such as pennies in the mouth, mustard, or chewing gum have been shown to be false. In some circumstances they can even lead to a higher reading.
So can you beat the breathalyzer? The answer may surprise you.
A recent study looked at different methods of blowing into a breathalyzer to see if the result could change. The study involved 54 healthy volunteers, all of whom were legal drinking age and who had no underlying alcohol addiction. Participants drank beer until they reached a blood alcohol concentration of 100 mg%, or 100 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Their blood alcohol level was measured with an Alco-Sensor IV breathalyzer — the same type that used to be prevalent in BC and is approved for use by Canadian law enforcement.
From there, participants were then tested using various methods of blowing. They had people blow poorly, blow from the sides of their mouths, hyperventilate before blowing, and drink water before blowing. Their blood alcohol level was then tested again using the Alco-Sensor IV device.
The test revealed that three different methods produced “statistically significant” changes in blood alcohol readings on the breathalyzer. Poor effort, hyperventilation, and drinking water all had an impact on lowering the results.
Breathing out of the side of the mouth did not seem to change the reading.
Hyperventilation and water were specifically highlighted as manipulations that could artificially decrease blood alcohol readings on a roadside breathalyzer by interfering with the alcohol content in exhaled breaths. Hyperventilation, in particular, could impact the blood alcohol readings by increasing the amount of air measured from dead space that doesn’t participate in gas exchange, resulting in less dissolved alcohol in the sample. Water lowers the temperature of the breath as it leaves the body, which would lead to a lower reported reading as compared to the true value.
The authors also noted that the breath test results could be affected by other factors not researched in the study. This opens the door for future research. They suggested that different foods or liquids, aside from water, might influence the reading though these could be more easily identified at the roadside by police.
Obviously these results demonstrate the significant need for ongoing training of police officers on how to take proper samples, both to avoid falsely high readings and falsely low readings. Further research should explore a comparison of blood alcohol readings drawn from the actual blood to the reported readings in the breathalyzer to find out whether the result is an actual lower blood alcohol level or just an impact on the breathalyzer itself.
This research demonstrates the problems of relying solely on roadside breathalyzer tests, especially in situations where accuracy is paramount. Breathalyzer operators should be cautious and informed about potential manipulations that could lead to misleading readings but also drivers should be aware of factors that can impact the results.
