How Does A Breathalyzer Detect Alcohol From Your Breath?

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Robert F. Borkenstein’s breathalyzer was a remarkable invention in the field of road safety. It used a simple color-changing chemical reaction to save many lives and keep the roads safer.

Drinking and then getting on the road home wasn’t a major issue during the 1800s. How badly could drunk bicyclists or pedestrians hurt themselves or others while making their way home?

However, Carl Benz introduced the world to the first commercially available automobile in the 1880s, and within a decade, the situation of drinking and driving had turned into a problem. 

Then, in the summer of 1954, from the depths of Robert F. Borkenstein’s basement, rose our hero—the Breathalyzer™.

Breath alcohol analyzers are brilliant pieces of equipment that use simple chemistry to save thousands of lives every year. So, let’s get give them their due by getting a bit more acquainted with their origin story and functionality.

But first, we should understand why alcohol makes people menacing drivers in the first place.

A crashed car after an accident stands next to a glass of beer(AntonioKalini)s
DUI accident after drinking and driving (Photo Credit : AntonioKalini/Shutterstock)

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