The effect of respiratory aerosol inhalers and nasal sprays on breath alcohol testing devices used in Great Britain.
Subjects suffering from respiratory diseases occasionally experience difficulty when attempting to provide breath samples to satisfy the requirements of breath alcohol testing devices. In order to assist ventilation, such subjects may resort to the use of an aerosol inhaler. Twenty aerosol inhalers containing drugs which exhibit an effect on the respiratory system and five nasal sprays used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever, have been tested for interference on the range of breath alcohol measuring devices used by the police in Great Britain. No interference attributable to the contents of any of the aerosol inhalers or nasal sprays tested was observed on any of the instruments in police use.
Central Research and Support Establishment, Home Office Forensic Science Service, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire.
P J
PJ
Gomm
S I
SI
Weston
M D
MD
Osselton
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000336:Aerosols; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation; D006113:United Kingdom
D000336:Aerosols; D000431:Ethanol