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Journal Article

Citation

Borkenstein RF, Dubowski KM. J. Traffic Med. 1977; 5(2): 29-33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1977, International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The United States, Canada and Australia with the highest per capita motor vehicle density are the 3 nations currently using breath tests as legal evidence. A method whereby the results of tests made by the police can be monitored by medical legal laboratories is described. Improvements are possible. For instance, the breath samples used are equal to 0.025 cc of blood. For this reason it is necessary to increase the sensitivity of the gas chromatographic analysis 4 times if 0.1 cc of blood is used and 8 times if 0.2 cc of blood is employed in routine analysis. If laws could be adjusted to acknowledge breath as an acceptable body material for medical legal purposes and if quantitative breath tests would be employed by the police, monitored by the medical legal institutes through the use of a technique such as the one described, many problems would be solved. Blood sampling would become unnecessary, the police would have immediate information for decision making, and much police time would be saved. This would encourage the police to increase identifications of drinking drivers in greater numbers. And most important, the scientific control of the whole operation would be in the hands of the medical legal institutes.

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