title: Variability in the blood/breath alcohol ratio and implications for evidentiary purposes.
abstract: The breath analyzer is an indispensable tool for identifying alcohol levels among drivers. While numerous studies have shown high correlations between blood and breath alcohol concentrations, most are limited by the study design. This study seeks to assess this relationship by minimizing potential measurement bias, document time from alcohol consumption to testing, and adjusting for potential confounders. A blinded study was performed using conditions closely resembling those in the field. The Draeger 7110 MKIII IL breath analyzer was used to assess breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC). Participants were 61 healthy volunteers aged 21-37 years with body mass index ≤30 and no history of alcoholism. A total of 242 valid blood/breath tests were performed in four test sets. The study results showed a high correlation coefficient between BrAC and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels (r = 0.983) with high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (93%). This strong association between the breath analyzer and BAC persisted even after adjustment for various stages of alcohol absorption. These results illustrate the high diagnostic sensitivity of the breath analyzer in field-tested conditions.
authors.affiliation: Braun School of Public Health & Community Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel, 91120.
authors.forename: Dena H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.affiliation: Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Public Health Policy Research, Tel-Hashomer, Israel, 52621.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siman-Tov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel, 52621.
authors.forename: Asher
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gopher
authors.affiliation: Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Public Health Policy Research, Tel-Hashomer, Israel, 52621.|The Program for Emergency & Disaster Management, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel, 69978.
authors.forename: Kobi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peleg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000032:analysis*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Draeger 7110 MKIII IL; alcohol; blood analysis; blood/breath alcohol ratio; breath analysis; drunk drivers; forensic science