The Science of Toxicology Testing

The Science of Toxicology Testing

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The Science of Toxicology Testing
The Science of Toxicology Testing
The Sampling Problem (and Solution) in Breath Alcohol Testing
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The Sampling Problem (and Solution) in Breath Alcohol Testing

If you don't define breath alcohol properly, you get massive uncertainty in the results.

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Aaron Olson
Feb 01, 2023
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The Science of Toxicology Testing
The Science of Toxicology Testing
The Sampling Problem (and Solution) in Breath Alcohol Testing
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Before I get into the meat of this article, I want to thank Halberg Criminal Defense, for becoming a founding member of this blog. Your support makes a huge difference.

The more people who support this blog, the more time I can justify spending on it.

The best way to support my work is to become a paying member.

In addition, if you decide to become a founding member, I’ll list your name on my homepage and link to your site. You’ll also get priority responses to your questions via text and email.

Now on to the problem of sampling in breath alcohol!


The sampling problem in breath alcohol testing

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.1 Leviticus 19:35-36

What is a breath?

An important legal question is, 'What is breath?' That is, at what point in a continuous exhalation does the sample's alcohol concentration constitute the statutory breath alcohol concentration? - Lubkin, Gullberg, et al.2

If you’re going to make a measurement of something, it is essential to know what you are measuring. This is especially true if the measurement has the potential to take away someone’s license or liberty.

Defining breath alcohol isn’t as easy as it sounds. This is because breath alcohol is a heterogenous substance whose concentration continuously rises throughout exhalation.

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