An experienced legal professional focused on criminal defense and personal injury cases, Stephen Krzyston serves as an attorney at the firm of Cavanaugh & Thickens in Columbia, South Carolina. Stephen Krzyston’s experience includes DUI defense, and he is knowledgeable in the proper use and calibration of breathalyzers.
As with any other liquid a person consumes, alcoholic drinks enter the stomach and then the small intestine after ingestion. From there, the alcohol in the beverage moves into the bloodstream and passes through the lungs, where some of the alcohol leaves the body through the lung's air sacs. When a person who has been drinking exhales, the alcohol in their lungs can be detected with a breathalyzer, which is used to estimate the amount of alcohol in one's blood.
Breathalyzers can be important tools in detecting alcohol-related accidents, but there is a margin of error with the devices. Factors that can affect a breathalyzer's accuracy include radio-frequency interference and physiological differences that influence a driver's "partition ratio," which is a measurement used to estimate blood-alcohol concentration based on breath alcohol. Alcohol lingering in the mouth or stomach can also lead to an artificially high breath test.
Another key point to consider when discussing breathalyzers is the importance of regular calibration. To maintain accuracy, as well as adherence to the law, breath-test devices must be calibrated regularly. Calibration essentially resets sensors and other internal components that can become saturated with repeated use. Using a breathalyzer that hasn't been calibrated properly can result in a false-positive breath test and may be grounds for DUI dismissal.
As with any other liquid a person consumes, alcoholic drinks enter the stomach and then the small intestine after ingestion. From there, the alcohol in the beverage moves into the bloodstream and passes through the lungs, where some of the alcohol leaves the body through the lung's air sacs. When a person who has been drinking exhales, the alcohol in their lungs can be detected with a breathalyzer, which is used to estimate the amount of alcohol in one's blood.
Breathalyzers can be important tools in detecting alcohol-related accidents, but there is a margin of error with the devices. Factors that can affect a breathalyzer's accuracy include radio-frequency interference and physiological differences that influence a driver's "partition ratio," which is a measurement used to estimate blood-alcohol concentration based on breath alcohol. Alcohol lingering in the mouth or stomach can also lead to an artificially high breath test.
Another key point to consider when discussing breathalyzers is the importance of regular calibration. To maintain accuracy, as well as adherence to the law, breath-test devices must be calibrated regularly. Calibration essentially resets sensors and other internal components that can become saturated with repeated use. Using a breathalyzer that hasn't been calibrated properly can result in a false-positive breath test and may be grounds for DUI dismissal.
