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How long after drinking alcohol can we detect it with a breath alcohol tester?

April 26, 2017alcohol breath detect drinking tester

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How long after drinking alcohol can we detect it with a breath alcohol tester?

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• It depends on how much the person had to drink, and how long ago they drank. Alcohol is eliminated at the constant rate of about .015% BAC per hour, which is about one drink an hour. If a person had only one drink, the maximum intoxication they might have would be about .02%. Within one hour, their alcohol level would be about zero. On the other hand, if a person had an alcohol level of .20%, twice the legal limit for drunk driving in most states, it would take over 13 hours for their alcohol level to reach zero after they stopped drinking. Breath alcohol testers measure blood alcohol level, which is a measure of actual intoxication. Therefore, a person who is not intoxicated has no alcohol in the blood, and a breath alcohol test will give a negative result. It seems that some people have the mistaken impression that alcohol stays in the system for a long time, as marijuana does. In fact, alcohol in the blood, and a breath alcohol test will give a negative result.