Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume
23,
Number 6,
October 1999,
pp.386-395
Measurement of Low Breath-Alcohol Concentrations: Laboratory Studies and
Field Experience
Kurt M. Dubowski and Natalie A. Essary
Recent federal rules and traffic law changes impose breath-alcohol thresholds of
0.02 and 0.04 g/210 L upon some classes of motor vehicle operators, such as juveniles
and commercial vehicle operators. In federally regulated alcohol testing in the
workplace, removal of covered workers from safety-sensitive duties, and other
adverse actions, also occur at breath-alcohol concentrations (BrACs) of 0.02 and
0.04 g/210 L. We therefore studied performance of vapor-alcohol and breath-alcohol
measurement at low alcohol concentrations in the laboratory and in the field, with
current-generation evidential analyzers. We report here chiefly our field experience
with evidential breath-alcohol testing of drinking drivers on paired breath samples
using 62 Intoxilyzer 5000-D analyzers, for BrACs of 0–0.059 g/210 L. The
data from 62 law enforcement breath-alcohol testing sites were collected and pooled,
with BrACs recorded to three decimal places, and otherwise carried out under the
standard Oklahoma evidential breath-alcohol testing protocol. For 2105 pooled
simulator control tests at 0.06–0.13 g/210 L the mean ± SD of the
differences between target and result were –0.001 ± 0.0035 g/210 L
and 0.003 ± 0.0023 g/210 L for signed and absolute differences, respectively
(spans –0.016–0.010, 0.000–0.016). For 2078 paired duplicate breath-alcohol
measurements with the Intoxilyzer 5000-D, the mean ± SD difference (BrAC
1 – BrAC 2) were 0.002 ± 0.0026 (span 0–0.020 g/210 L). Variability
of breath-alcohol measurements was related inversely to the alcohol concentration.
Ninety-nine percent prediction limits for paired BrAC measurements correspond
to a 0.020 g/210 L maximum absolute difference, meeting the NSC/CAOD recommendation
that paired breath-alcohol analysis results within 0.02 g/210 L shall be deemed
to be in acceptable agreement. We conclude that the field system for breath-alcohol
analysis studied by us can and does perform reliably and accurately at low BrACs.
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