Alcohol Breath Strips to Measure BAC & Prevent DUI
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aliva breath strips to measure breath alcohol content (BAC) are now available to consumers in San Diego County.
Walmart recently introduced the Guardian Angel Personal Alcohol Testing Kit in their stores, priced at $6.49 for a box of 16 breath strips. The breath alcohol strips are also being widely distributed by Wisconsin based Sentry Insurance.
The alcohol test strips estimate a person's blood alcohol content (BAC) by implementation of a 10 second tongue test. The BAC test's results are determined after a wait of exactly two minutes for the strip's color to develop and be matched against a color chart.
If the BAC test strip turns a dark brown color, it supposedly indicates the person is above the legal limit to drive. A reddish brown or tan color indicates a drinker might not be legally drunk, but is still at risk of being arrested for driving under the influence or getting involved in an alcohol-related crash.
BAC Breath Strip Reliability
Are BAC test strips reliable?
For the tests to be accurate, Guardian Angel insists that users need to wait at least 10 minutes after their last drink before checking their blood alcohol level. The manufacturer also instructs users of the strips to not smoke, nor consumed any food, beverages, chewing gum, or breath mints, nor use mouthwash within the 10 minute preliminary wait period prior to administering the breath test. In addition, some medications and antioxidants, including high levels of vitamins C or E, may affect the accuracy of test strip results.
BAC Breath Strip Accuracy
Are BAC test strips accurate? The answer depends on whom you ask, how the test is administered, and how specific of a result is sought. As saliva tests are not intended to specify an exact blood alcohol measurement, an important consideration is that the breath strips are not effective in preventing DUI / drunk driving. Law enforcement officials say the self-administered alcohol tests won't hold up as evidence in a drunk driving case.
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