False Breath Tester Results: Caused by Many Common Things

False breath tester results are caused by any of a number of things. A major cause of false breath tester results is acetone in the breath.

    Overview

I.   Acetone

II.  Summary

III. Resources

I. Acetone

Acetone in the breath is one cause of false blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results. Readings from such machines are only estimates of BAC. In fact, only a sample of blood itself can yield a true measure of BAC.

Acetone exists in the breath of average people. And it can be high enough to cause false readings. Thus, it can cause conviction of innocent drivers.

Also diabetics can have levels of acetone in the breath high enough to get false readings of .06.

Symptoms

false breathalyzer resultsDiabetes can also causes symptoms similar to intoxication. They include shakiness, dizziness, clumsiness, jerky movements, problems paying attention, and confusion.

The CDC reports that 23.6 million people in the country have diabetes. And about 5.7 million of these don’t know it.

Other things can also cause false estimates.

    • Heart, kidney and liver diseases.
    • Aspirin in large doses, sulfa meds and pseudo ephedrine.
    • Exertion, fright or anxiety.
    • Diet soda.

Either fasting or dieting can also cause much higher levels of acetone. Research shows that fasting can increase the acetone level high enough to give a false reading of .06 BAC.

Diet

A low-carb diet increases acetone levels. The body produces more acetone to compensate for the reduced glucose in the diet. The Atkins and similar diets seek low carb ketosis. This promotes the “burning” of fat.

Ketones create alcohol. It turns into high levels of acetone. This occurs among teetotalers.

Such false readings are in addition to any other compounds in the methyl group. Over a hundred of these commonly occur in the breath.

II. Summary: False Breath Tester Results

Acetone in the breath can cause false positive readings in breath testers. Diabetes can cause people to fail field sobriety tests.

Also high temperatures, smoke, radio waves, calibration, and many other can cause problems.

It’s important to keep impaired and drunk drivers off the road. This protects public safety. But it’s also important to protect innocent drivers. They shouldn’t suffer for a crime they didn’t commit.

Perhaps convicting innocent drivers using false breath tester results should be a crime.

III. Resources: False Breath Tester Results

Web

Unreliable Breath Tester Results.

How Long Can Urine Alcohol Tests Detect Drinking?

EtG Alcohol Urine Test Unreliable.

Alcohol Tests (Hair, Saliva, Sweat). What You Need to Know.

Stopped for Drunk Driving? What to Expect, What to Do, and Not Do.

Reading

Karch, S.  Issues in Alcohol Testing. Boca Raton: CRC.