Are breath test results always an accurate measure of my blood alcohol level?
A. No! Recent litigation has confirmed that DataMaster results routinely have variances of 20% with the actual BAC. The technology and design of the DataMaster, as with all evidentiary blood alcohol tests, are based on 1940-1960 technology and a misunderstanding of pulmonary physiology. This information assumes and applies the 2100 to 1 partition ratio to all individuals, assumes a constant partition ratio and involves the belief that the breath alcohol concentration plateaus at its maximum during the terminal phase of a breath sample to represent the alveolar air-blood partition ratio. Since the 1970’s, studies have demonstrated that the BrAC (breath alcohol concentration) increases during the terminal breath phase and the BrAC comes primarily from the aqueous bronchial mucosa and little, if any, from deep lung alveolar air. BrAC is further influenced by breathing patterns, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), elevated body temperature, work environment, and the blood constituents
