| Title | The Likelihood of Acetone Interference in Breath Alcohol Measurement |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 25695 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Flores, Arthur L.; Frank, James F. |
| Source | iv, 23 p. : ill. |
| Corporate Creator | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publisher | United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Publication Date | 19850900 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | This report discusses the significance of possible interference of acetone in breath alcohol testing. The following dimensions were considered: 1) what levels of acetone concentration may appear on the breath; 2) what levels of acetone concentration may produce significant breath alcohol concentration (BAC) readings on breath testers; and 3) which instrument types may be sensitive to the presence of acetone. The issue of acetone interference was found to have no practical significance in traffic law enforcement for the following reasons: 1) the level of acetone on the breath that would be required to produce even minimal BAC readings (e.g., 0.01% BAC) is rarely seen in on-the-road arrest situations (i.e., less than 0.028%); 2) diabetic and dieting individuals who are well enough to drive do not have sufficient levels of acetone on their breath to increase BAC readings more than a very small amount (a practical maximum of 0.01%-0.02%); and 3) the number of evidential breath testers in use that are unable to discriminate between acetone and ethyl alcohol is very small, estimated to be less than 1,000 nationwide. Most commercially available evidential breath testers sold today are made to distinguish acetone from ethyl alcohol, so that the issue is moot in these cases. /Abstract from report summary page/ |
| Rosap ID | dot:1406 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1406 |
| TRT Terms | Alcohol breath tests; Acetates; Equipment tests; Traffic law enforcement |
| General Subjects | DWI enforcement |
| Classification | NTL - LAWS AND REGULATIONS - LAWS AND REGULATIONS; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Highway Safety |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| OCLC | 13506764 |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
00491241 |
| Contract Number | PPA-534 |
| Report Number | DOT-HS-806-922; NTIS-PB86183563 |
| Availability | NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Research; Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/25000/25600/25695/DOT-HS-806-922.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |