How Breathalyzers Work

I just found a really interesting article on 'How Breathalyzers Work'. I am just posting the bginning of the article, but the rest can be found at howstuffworks.com:

We hear and read about drivers involved in an accident who are later charged with drunken driving, and usually a news report on the accident will say what the driver's blood alcohol level was and what the legal limit for blood alcohol is. A driver might be found to have a level of 0.15, for example, and the legal limit is 0.08. But what do those figures mean? And how do police officers find out if a driver they suspect has been drinking is actually legally drunk? You have probably heard about the Breathalyzer, but may wonder exactly how a person's breath can show how much that person has had to drink.

It is important for public safety that drunken drivers be taken off the roads. Of the 42,000 traffic deaths in the United States in 1999, about 38 percent were related to alcohol. Drivers who can pass roadside sobriety tests -- they can touch their noses or walk a straight line -- still might be breaking the legal limit for blood alcohol and be a hazard on the road. So police officers use some of the latest technology to detect alcohol levels in suspected drunken drivers and remove them from the streets.

Many officers in the field rely on breath alcohol testing devices (Breathalyzer is one type) to determine the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in drunken-driving suspects. In this article, we will examine the scientific principles and technology behind these breath alcohol testing devices.

Acting liquor chief named after DUI arrest of former director

Well it sounds like Oregon is filled with a bunch of hypocrites, at least as far as alcohol and DUIs go. Here is a little article from msnbc.com that illustrates what I am saying:

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission appointed Steve Pharo to serve as acting director today following the resignation of the executive director, who was arrested for drunken driving.

Teresa Kaiser resigned her post Thursday. She has also been charged reckless driving.

Pharo currently is director of merchandising for the agency. He will serve as acting administrator until a permanent replacement is found for Kaiser.

Pharo pledged to bring a "steadying hand" to an agency that was embarrassed by the disclosure that its top official had been arrested for drunken driving.

Portland police arrested 56-year-old Kaiser last Saturday night. This, after officers responded to a two-car accident on the west end of the Sellwood Bridge.

A breath test placed Kaiser's blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit for driving in Oregon.

Originally posted at: Oregon DUI News