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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, judgement 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.

Breath alcohol test

Reviewed last on: 7/23/2008
Jacob L. Heller, MD, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Barnosky AR, Chapman DK, Roth VS. Occupational medicine and cccupational health in the emergency department. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2006:chap 199.

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