Admittedly, I haven’t researched the claims this site makes, but if its true…
The dirty secret behind breathalyzers.
I don’t even look hard for this stuff anymore. I trip over it. It’s everywhere.
Here is the quick and dirty. In 1985 they determined Breathalyzers to be accurate. In 1990 a case was in court, and the doctor, Dr. Dubowski, who published the study used in 1985 to prove Breathalyzers to be accurate testified that in 2.3% of the cases, Breathalyzers would over report the BAC of a test subject. This was not stated in the 1985 study.
One witness, Dr. Simpson, a physical Chemist, stated there could be ways a Breathalyzer would be inaccurate. The court sided with the original study.
When Simpson researched Dubowski’s data, he found him to be a decimal place off! it was 23%
“Dr. Simpson then published his findings in a respected scientific journal. They were never rebutted and Dr. Dubowski remained silent on the subject.”
“Attorneys across the country have taken note of the breathalyzer’s failings. This has lead authorities to resort to more invasive measures, including letting officers perform blood draws with very little training.”
Moral of the story. Ask for a professional to draw your blood. Don’t take the Breathalyzer.
I´d say:
Moral 1) Dont drink and drive at all. Driving a vehicle requires all your attention in order to take care of your reponsibility towards your own and others life. Whats the allowed BAC limit in the USA btw? Here in germany its
Moral 2) To err is human, science isnt perfect. I mean come on….ONE scientist makes a (probably/apparently false) study and EVERYONE relies on this ONE study? Then another ONE scientist reveals a mistake in this study and now the first scientist is blamed for REMAINING SILENT on this case although this article doesnt even answer the question if the first scientist really has been confronted with the result of the second study. It is IMPLIED in the article but in fact it only says that the result has been posted in a scientific journal….who knows if Dubowski ever read it.^^
However, to me this whole article is nonsense since to me its nothing new that breathanalyzers have their flaws.
Oh boy….that was the last time I replied to a topic here since my replies always seem to be cutted down by the site….which is annoying as hell.
Ive never heard of it before. sucks, because its nice tohave you commenting here. :/
in the US the BAC limit is .08. drinking and driving is wrong, no doubt about it. but one or two drinks over the course of an evening doesn’t necassarily result in impairment. If the above information is, in fact true, a terrible situation could happen. this person who only had two drinks over the course of the night could get pulled over for a number of reasons, the officer ’smells alcohol’ and the driver submits to a breathalyzer test. this test than says the driver is at .10 BAC, when in fact there is well below the stated figure. I can’t believe this study wasn’t scrutinized more when it was first being tested. people lives could have been ruined because of a faulty breathalyzer.