What is "mouth alcohol"?
"Mouth alcohol" refers to the existence of any alcohol in the mouth or esophagus. If this is present during a breath test, then the results will be falsely high.
This is because the breath machine assumes that the breath is from the alveolar region of the lungs. For complex physiological reasons, its internal computer multiplies the amount of alcohol by 2100. This multiplier is known as the "partition ratio." Thus, even a tiny amount of alcohol breathed directly into the machine from the mouth or throat can have a huge impact.
Mouth alcohol can be caused in many ways. Belching, burping, hiccuping or vomiting within 20 minutes of taking the test can bring vapor from alcoholic beverages still in the stomach up into the mouth and throat. Taking a breath freshener can send a machine's reading way up (such products as Binaca and Listerine have alcohol in them); cough syrups and other products also contain alcohol. Dental bridges and dental caps can trap alcohol. Blood in the mouth from an injury is yet another source of inaccurate breath test results.
The Intoxilyzer 5000, the most commonly used evidential breath testing device in Arizona, has a "slope detector." The purpose of this slope detector is to detect mouth alcohol and abort the test sequence. The slope detector is never tested or calibrated on drinking subjects. It is well known by both defense attorneys as well as state criminalists that the slope detector can be "fooled" by a drinking subject.
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