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Breathing and biology matter in breath test

Ask enough people if a breath test can be beat and you’ll likely have enough ideas, myths and stories to write your own how-to book. Even for people that seldom drink, it’s a hot topic. While there are many online resources for what may and may not work to beat a breath test, very few of them are accurate. So minus all the buzz, can you actually beat a breath test?

The easiest answer is no, you can’t, nor should you probably try. There are a couple of things that may change a breath test reading, but generally speaking, only by a little bit and only to make it higher. The two things that really matter when taking a breath test are breathing and biology.

Anyone that has been pulled over knows it’s a stressful event. Your heart might race, your hands may sweat and your breathing may speed up. Hopefully you don’t hyperventilate, but if you do your breath test reading may be lower. A Breathalyzer converts the ethanol detected in your lungs to a BAC reading. When you hyperventilate, you quickly replace the ethanol-saturated lung volume with clean, fresh oxygen. You may be nervous getting pulled over, but hyperventilating looks a little suspicious.

Women have a chance of testing higher during a breath test than men. The conversion that takes place to produce the BAC reading is accurate for a certain red blood cell count, or hematocrit. Women biologically have a lower red blood cell count and may produce a higher BAC reading than men.

So really, there is no sure fire way to beat a breath test. There are things that can change it and  impact its accuracy, but not beat it. The best way to avoid a BAC number looming in the shadows is to refuse to provide one. If you are facing a DUI or have lost your license because of a refusal, you may benefit by speaking to an experienced attorney.

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