Citation

Taylor MD, Hodgson BT. J. Can. Soc. Forensic Sci. 1995; 28(2): 153-164.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Canadian Society of Forensic Science, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00085030.1995.10757479

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two infrared (IR) breath alcohol analyzers, the Alcotest® 7110 and the Intoxilyzer® 5000C, were evaluated against blood results and against the Breathalyzer® 900A currently used by Canadian police agencies. A total of 18 healthy human subjects were used for the breath to breath comparisons while 15 of those subjects each provided two blood samples approximately one hour apart for blood I breath correlations. The IR analyzers and the Breathalyzer® showed a high degree of correlation with blood samples (n = 15: r = 0.974 for the Breathalyzer®, r = 0.971 for the Intoxilyzer®, and r = 0.989 for the Alcotest®). All three Instruments underestimated the blood results (mean differences, blood minus breath: 12 mg% for the Breathalyzer®, 18 mg% for the Intoxilyzer®, and 9 mg% for the Alcotest®). In breath to breath comparisons the Intoxilyzer® underestimated the Breathalyzer® (n = 18, mean difference Breathalyzer® minus Intoxilyzer® = 4 mg%) while the Alcotest® overestimated the Breathalyzer® (n = 17, mean difference Breathalyzer® minus Alcotest® = −3 mg%).