Foods that can trigger false positive BAC results Here are some foods that could cause a sober driver to register a false positive BAC test: Sugary foods. Cinnamon rolls, honeybuns, protein bars, and pastry. Bread and pastries.
Another reason why certain foods can set off a breathalyzer is because of fermentation. Some sugary foods can turn into alcohol. For instance, fruit that has undergone the fermentation process can easily set off the breathalyzer. Additionally, the yeast used in bread and cakes contains a residual amount of alcohol.
Sugar Alcohol Found in Certain Foods
For example, pecans, ripe fruit, energy drinks, and protein bars have been known to skew breathalyzer test results. Further, if you have acid in your stomach from eating a spicy meal, you may not be able to rely on the accuracy of a breathalyzer test.
Over-the-counter cold medicines– Certain Vicks products, NyQuil, and other cold and cough medications contain minimal amounts of alcohol, which can skew a breathalyzer test. If you took several cough drops in the hours before a breathalyzer test, that could also skew the result.
Nevertheless, you drink a caffeinated beverage to stay alert on your drive. Believe it or not, ingesting caffeine could make it more likely that you'll fail a breath test, especially if it comes in the form of an energy drink.
Our research shows that manipulations can alter BrAC readings. Specifically, hyperventilation and drinking water before using the breathalyzer were shown to significantly lower the BrAC readings. Breath analyzer operators should be cognizant of these methods that may lead to falsely lower BrAC readings.
Nyquil, Vicks products, and other cold medications contain alcohol. These and other alcohol-containing medicines may cause a breathalyzer test to show a false positive result. If you consumed a large number of cough drops before your breathalyzer test, it also could have skewed the test results. Oral gels.
If you've used a product that contains alcohol, the Breathalyzer might detect the alcohol concentration and report a false positive. Products that contain alcohol include toothpaste, aftershave, hand sanitizer, bleach, mouthwash, perfume and cologne. Even spraying bug repellent on yourself can produce a false positive.
Medications: Cold and allergy medications, cough syrups, and medications for heartburn and acid reflux can increase BAC. Others, such as gum and toothache pain relievers, some vitamins, and asthma medications, can affect results without raising BAC.
If you are wondering, “if I drank the night before a breathalyzer test, will drinking a lot of water help?”. The answer to that is no; the only thing drinking a lot of water does hydrate you to feel better after consuming alcohol.
There is, however, one technique that may actually fool the test. Per the results of multiple real-world tests, hyperventilating before blowing into a breathalyzer can lower a BAC reading enough to put someone who is just over the legal limit appear safely under it.
Anbesol and other topical gels used to relieve toothaches, canker sores, and cold sores can contain up to 70 percent alcohol, which can skew breathalyzer test results. Mouthwashes. Some mouthwashes and sprays also have a high alcohol content and can affect breathalyzer test results in a similar fashion as topical gels.
You can beat a breathalyzer by hyperventilating, exercising, or holding your breath before you blow.
You might have seen some videos online about testing a breathalyzer with peanut butter and getting 0.00% BAC results after. So far, there haven't been any successful cases of peanut butter beating a breathalyzer. The failed results are similar to other methods like using a mouthwash or sucking on a penny.
If you eat a little bit of garlic or some red onion with your food, they can mask the smell of alcohol for some time. When you are out drinking with friends order some garlic flavored food along with your drinks. You can have some garlic bread or garlic fries. Or you can add some red onions to salads, steak or burgers.
Vinegar: Some types of vinegar, made from wine, contain trace amounts of alcohol that can lead to false positives on breathalyzer tests.
While there is no evidence or studies showing that caffeine directly impairs a person's ability to drive, there are things that you should watch out for when combining caffeine and driving. First, consuming energy drinks before driving could result in a false positive on a breathalyzer test.
Factors That Can Affect Breathalyzer Accuracy
Substances present in the mouth at the time of the test may cause false positives – such as mouthwashes, breath fresheners and alcohol-containing medicines. Breathalyzers must be calibrated regularly and have fresh batteries to maintain accuracy.
The study found that artificially sweetened drinks, such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, provided an average breath alcohol concentration of 0.065%. Comparatively, conventional sugary carbohydrate-laden drinks, such as Coke and Pepsi, yielded a concentration of 0.045%.
Another IID manufacturer, SmartStart, explains that a breath test taken immediately after using these products could return a breath alcohol reading as high as 0.25 percent. For this reason, waiting at least 15 minutes after brushing teeth or rinsing with mouthwash is recommended.
Smoking has been found to be just one of many factors that could lead to inaccurate breathalyzer results.
In some cases, the breathalyzer may detect alcohol for up to 12 hours. In other individuals, the breathalyzer test may work for twice that long. Although the average person metabolizes about 1 alcoholic drink per hour, this rate varies.
Cough drops and cough medicines can contain alcohol. In these situations, if you consume any kind of cough medication, it can impact your results on a breathalyzer even if you're not drunk. You could still blow above the legal limit without any kind of impairment.
Eating peanut butter: Peanut butter has a rather potent, deep scent and is known to help conceal alcohol breath. Drinking coffee: On top of counteracting some of the cognitive effects of drinking such as fatigue, drinking (strong) coffee can help with bad bacteria and mask the smell of alcohol on the breath.