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Field Performance of the Intoxilyzer 5000: A Comparison of Blood- and Breath-Alcohol Results in Wisconsin Drivers

NCJ Number
125655
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 35 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1990) Pages: 1022-1028
Author(s)
P M Harding; R H Laessig; P H Field
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Intoxilyzer 5000 and blood-alcohol results from drivers arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and for related offenses were compared during a 2-year period. Three hundred and ninety-five pairs of results were studied.
Abstract
The breath- and blood-alcohol specimens in this study were collected within one hour of each other. The mean blood alcohol concentration obtained was 0.180 gram/deciliter (g/dl), with a range from zero to 0.338 g/dl. By comparison, the mean Intoxilyzer 5000 result was 0.16 g/dl with a range from zero to 0.32 g/210 liter. Compared with the blood-alcohol result Intoxilyzer 5000 results were lower by more than 0.01 g/210 1 67 percent of the time, within 0.01 g/210 1 32 percent of the time, and higher by more than 0.01 g/210 1 2 percent of the time. 2 figures, 1 table, and 17 references. (Author abstract)