Who invented breathalyzer

He was The Breathalyzer is a portable device that can determine whether the person being tested is legally drunk. It measures the proportion of alcohol vapors in exhaled air, a proportion that reflects the content of alcohol in the blood. Before widespread use of the device, police officers investigating an accident or noticing a weaving car looked for symptoms like a flushed face, slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.

If the suspect then went to sleep in the police station, they might have sufficient basis for charges. Getting a conviction was harder still. Defense lawyers might say the suspect had been staggering because of the long hours he worked, and bring in friends to say he had had no more than two beers.

The defendant might maintain that his eyes had been red as a result of allergies. The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is 2, to 1, meaning that 2, milliliters of exhaled air will contain the same amount of alcohol as one milliliter of blood. For many years the typical legal standard for drunkenness across the United States was 0. Many states have now adopted 0. Technology may have improved the breathalyzer, but the reason it was invented in the first place is still an issue — the fight against drunk driving has been going on for over a century, and until the time when all drunk drivers are off the roads, tools like the breathalyzer will help enforce DUI laws all around the world.

Guardian Ignition Interlock. Photo credit drunkometer and breathalyzer — Drinkdriving. Next ». Need Help? Another type of modern Breathalyzer is the infrared optical sensor device, the latest version in what Borkenstein started with his Model Breathalyzer.

An Intoxilyzer is an example of this type of device. The technology it uses is called infrared spectroscopy, which pinpoints molecules according to the way they absorb light.

When ethanol in the breath absorbs the light, an electrical impulse is created which measures this which is then processed by a microprocessor into a BAC level. These types of devices are generally too large to be used as handheld devices. Dual sensor breathalyzers are another type of device which use both infrared and electrochemical sensors combined into one device to give a very accurate measure of blood alcohol concentration. Finally, semiconductor breathalyzers are now available for private use by individuals.

These small, handheld devices can be found online and in convenience stores; they are inexpensive because they are cheap to make. They also produce an electrical current when alcohol comes into contact with the surface of the semiconductor.

These portable devices are not, however, as reliable as the more sophisticated types mentioned above used by law enforcement. That is because they vary in quality and can be affected by the atmosphere in which they are used. Their use is also dependent on correct operation. Substances in the air around personal breathalyzers, such as cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide, and other fumes and gases can influence their readings as well as fluctuations in the humidity and temperature of the air.

Artificially high as well as artificially low readings may result when used by consumers who do not fully understand how these factors can impinge on results. A further caution lies in the fact that the test results of a device used by law enforcement are the defining results which will be used in court as evidence for a DUI conviction.

If used correctly, personal breathalyzers may be beneficial to responsible drivers concerning their driving ability but they should not be totally relied up to prevent a drunk driving conviction.

The Breathalyzer device has come a long way from its inception in the early s. Accepted as a standard basis for most DUI convictions, it has led to changing laws concerning drunk driving restrictions throughout the U.

The installation of this device is becoming increasingly popular as a court-ordered action for mostly repeat offenders in many states. Beyond this, however, the Breathalyzer can now be used by more than just law enforcement as it finds its way into such areas as the workplace, in research studies, medical clinics, alcohol treatment programs, probation programs, halfway houses, and more.