Austin Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers

Mouth Alcohol: A Problem for the Breathalyzer

One of the biggest problems for any breathalyzer machine is how to deal with mouth alcohol. Unfortunately, rather than address this problem, breathalyzer manufacturers ignore it in favor of faulty readings.

The biggest problem with mouth alcohol is that the concentration of alcohol in the mouth is much higher than it is in the lungs. As any air expelled from the lungs into a breathalyzer passes through the mouth, it picks up alcohol particles while there. The breathalyzer doesn’t register this increase since it has nothing with which to compare the reading and so interprets the concentration of alcohol in the mouth as though it were coming from the lungs.

If the air were coming from the lungs and not passing through any other area that might have alcohol particles in it, the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream would be measured accurately. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The breathalyzer takes what it believes to be lung air and runs it through the computer which computes what it believes to be the blood alcohol concentration.

This number is, unfortunately, inaccurate. The problem is frequently seen when individuals who have just brushed their teeth and used mouthwash as dentists frequently recommend are asked to take a breathalyzer and somehow register as being drunk at 8:30am in the morning.

Contact an Austin DWI Attorney

For more information on the problems of the breathalyzer tests or other Austin DWI issues, contact the Austin DWI attorney Ian Inglis at 512-472-1950.