What Is the Difference Between a Breathalyzer and BAC?
These terms are often used interchangeably, when in fact there is a difference between a breathalyzer and BAC. A breathalyzer doesn’t read blood alcohol content but rather attempts to estimate it by measuring the amount of alcohol in your breath from the lungs. Breathalyzers translate breath alcohol content to BAC by assuming a specific ratio (2100:1) between the two. However, this ratio applies to the “average person,” when in fact this ratio may vary between 1700:1 and 2400:1 in different people. Thus, breathalyzer test results are commonly challenged.
