Breathalyzer accuracy in actual law enforcement practice: a comparison of blood- and breath-alcohol results in Wisconsin drivers

J Forensic Sci. 1987 Sep;32(5):1235-40.

Abstract

Breathalyzer and blood-alcohol results from drivers arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and for related offenses were compared during a two-year period. Four hundred and four pairs of breath- and blood-alcohol results from specimens collected within 1 h of each other were studied. Blood-alcohol concentrations ranged from zero to 0.421% weight per volume (w/v). Breath-alcohol concentrations ranged from zero to 0.44 g/210 L. The mean Breathalyzer result was 0.16 g/210 L. The mean blood-alcohol result was 0.176% w/v. Compared to the blood-alcohol result, Breathalyzer results were lower by more than 0.01 g/210 L 61% of the time, within 0.01 g/210 L 33% of the time, and higher by more than 0.01 g/210 L 6% of the time.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Alcoholic Intoxication / diagnosis*
  • Automobile Driving*
  • Breath Tests / instrumentation*
  • Ethanol / analysis*
  • Ethanol / blood
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Humans
  • Wisconsin

Substances

  • Ethanol