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How Breathalysers Work
Breathalysers work by measuring the concentration of alcohol vapour in
your breath. Contrary to popular belief the alcohol is not coming from
residue in your mouth but is actually evaporating from the blood that passes
through your lungs when you breathe. The amount of alcohol evaporating
from your lungs is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol in your
blood stream making it possible to accurately calculate the per mil Blood
Alcohol Concentration (‰BAC) or Milligrams of alcohol per Litre of Breath
(mg/l) and therefore your level of intoxication.
How Alcohol Is Processed by the Body
When you drink, alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream through your
mouth and throat but mostly through the stomach and small intestine.
The more you drink the more alcohol is absorbed by the body and the higher
your BAC or mg/l reading will become. Between 20 and 90 minutes after the
alcohol is consumed it is distributed equally around the body through the
blood stream. This is known as the Point of Equilibrium.
As blood flows round the body around 90% of the alcohol it contains is
broken down in to water and carbon dioxide by the liver in a process
called Oxidation. The remaining 10% of the alcohol is passed from the
body through the lungs and kidneys. A healthy liver typically breaks down
alcohol at a rate of one unit of alcohol per hour but the more alcohol
that is consumed the longer it can take for the liver to process each unit.
When you stop drinking your level of intoxication may stay constant or
if you have been drinking heavily it could even increase for around
90 minutes afterwards. This is because of the time it takes for alcohol to
reach the bloodstream from the time you actually had the drink. If you have
eaten food this can also increase the time, as the release of alcohol into the
bloodstream can be slowed by it being absorbed by food in the stomach.
This is the reason why we do not recommend using the breathalyser
just after finishing drinking because there are too many factors that can
influence the reading. The ideal time is the morning after.
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