Abstract
A physiological relationship exists between the concentrations of ethanol and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in pulmonary capillary blood and in the alveolar air. The concentration of ethanol in exhaled breath is highly correlated with the peripheral blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), which supports the use of breath analysis as a test for alcohol consumption. The Breathalyzer instrument for quantifying ethanol in exhaled breath was developed in 1954 and was used by police forces in the United States as evidence that a person was driving under the influence of alcohol. By the 1980s, new and improved technology appeared for determining ethanol in exhaled breath, such as gas chromatography, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical oxidation. Two main categories of breath-alcohol analyzers are currently used by police authorities to enforce drunken-driving laws, namely (i) compact handheld electronic instruments deployed at the roadside to test sobriety of drivers and (ii) more sophisticated benchtop instruments used at police stations, giving evidence-quality results for prosecution of traffic offenders.
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