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Breath alcohol test - Risks

Alternative Names

Alcohol test - breath

What the risks are:

There are no risks.

Special considerations:

The test does not take into account the driving abilities of the test subject. Driving abilities vary among people with the same blood-alcohol levels. Some people with blood-alcohol levels below 0.05% may not be able to safely drive. For occasional drinkers, judgment problems occur at blood-alcohol levels of just 0.02%.

The breath alcohol test helps you to know how much alcohol it takes to raise the blood-alcohol level to a dangerous level. Each person's response to alcohol varies. The test may help you make better decisions about driving after drinking.

  • Reviewed last on: 6/28/2010
  • Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Bitterman RA. Medicolegal issues and risk management. In: Marx JA, ed. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 202.

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