Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Breath Alcohol Test 101

By Bart Icles

You might have head about breath alcohol tests and you might even know someone who has gone through one. However, not many of us understand what a breath alcohol test is, how it works, and why it is done. To start, a breath alcohol test helps determine the amount of alcohol that is present in your blood. This is done through measuring the amount of alcohol present in the air you exhale or breathe out. This kind of test can be done at home, and is also widely used by law enforcers to determine if motorists are driving vehicles while under the influence of alcohol.

There are several manufacturers of breath alcohol test kits. Different test kits vary in terms of the method used in testing the amount of alcohol present in a subject?s breath. These test kits can either be manual or electronic. The most common type of breath alcohol tester requires a subject to blow up a balloon in a single continuous breath until the balloon is full. The air inside the balloon is then released into a glass tube filled with bands of yellow crystals. Depending on the alcohol levels present in the subject?s breath, these bands will change their colors from yellow to green. Because methods and indicators in different test kits can vary, it is best to read the instructions carefully before using a certain test kit.

It is best to test for alcohol levels in your breath 15 minutes after you have consumed an alcoholic beverage. If you have been smoking, give yourself a minute after you have last smoked before you start a test. You need not worry because breath alcohol tests do not bring any discomfort to the body.

But why is there a need to conduct breath alcohol tests? As you consume alcoholic beverage, the amount or level of alcohol in your blood goes up. The amount of alcohol present in your blood is referred to as your blood-alcohol level. When your blood-alcohol level falls within the range of 0.02 to 0.03%, you might feel a relaxing kind of high. When it falls between 0.05 to 0.10%, you will most likely have reduced muscular coordination. This means it will take you long before you can react to a stimulus and you will most probably have an impaired sense of judgment.

Having high blood-alcohol levels can pose risks not only to you but also to people around you. This is mainly the reason why motorists are discouraged from driving while under the influence of alcohol. Through a breath alcohol test, you will be able to determine if you or another person will not be able to perform certain functions well.

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