Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Published : December 22, 2014 3:38 PM IST
In a study published online in the journal BMJ Open, researchers revealed that all breathalysers available in British market, to detect alcohol levels in the blood while driving, may not be accurate. Before a detailed analysis about breathalysers, let's understand what they are and how they help detect alcohol in the blood. (Read: What are side effects of alcohol? (Query)
Different types of breathalysers and how they work
Breathalysers mainly belong to two categories: For personal and professional use. They are based on different principles.
Accuracy of breathalysers
For the study, researchers involved 208 adults for analysis of diagnostic accuracy of 3 personal use breathalysers to detect alcohol levels in the blood. The participants were regular drinkers at college bars and pubs at Oxford. 20 minutes after drinking, they were asked to test the three breathalysers devices: Single use Alcosense Single, the comparable Drager Alco-check as well as the digital multi-use Alcosense Elite breathalyzer. (Read: It isn t safe to drive even after one drink)
The readings obtained from the three breathalysers were compared with the readings obtained from a Drager Alcotest 6510 device, used by police officials to detect legal alcohol limits in users. It was found that digital Alcosense Elite breathalyser had a sensitivity of around 90 percent while the Drager AlcoCheck had a sensitivity of just under 95 percent compared to the breathalyser used by police officials. A 95 percent sensitivity means that one in 20 people would be falsely reassured. (Read: Oh Crap App an app to prevent drunk driving)
The Alcosense Single was only 26 percent sensitive, indicating that it would detect only one in four people who consumed alcohol over the legal limit, shortly after drinking. The results of this study question the regulatory process for approving these sorts of devices for personal use, especially as false reassurance about a person's safety to drive could have potentially catastrophic consequences.
With inputs from IANS
Image source: Getty images
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