Citation

Wells AE. Proc. Int. Counc. Alcohol Drugs Traffic Safety Conf. 1981; 1981: 699-720.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, The author(s) and the Council, Publisher International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Statistical treatment of the data relating k a/w to temperature for dilute aqueous ethanol solutions suggests that 1 n k a/w is not linearly related to temperature as has recently been reported. Tests utilizing an equilibrator and an aqueous alcohol solution (3.41 mg/ml) indicate that slightly higher than expected results will be obtained on a Borkenstein breathalyzer if the ambient temperature is higher than the solution temperature and slightly lower results will be obtained if the ambient is lower than the solution temperature. Maximum differences were -16 mg/100 ml when ambient was 10.6 deg C cooler than the solution and 12 mg/100 ml when ambient was 9.9 deg C warmer than the solution. Condensation was present in the outlet tube of the equilibrator during all tests where the solution was warmer than the room (n = 36). In Canada, this test is conducted each time a subject is tested on the Borkenstein breathalyzer. In the absence of condensation in the outlet tube of the equilibrator, a properly conducted standard test will determine if a breathalyzer is reading falsely high. It is not necessary to measure room temperature to ensure the validity of this test. (TRRL)