Saliva Alcohol Testing

Another type of disposable tester available today tests the saliva for alcohol presence. Although a correlation between blood alcohol concentration and saliva alcohol concentration is believed to exist, the technology and chemical reaction which is employed in all of these testers has not been proven to be accurate or reliable.

Saliva testers are treated with an enzyme Alcohol Oxidase, which responds to alcohol in proportion to the concentration of alcohol in a mixed saliva sample placed on it. The user estimates the BAC by comparing the color change on the test strip patch to standard colors calibrated to correspond to different BAC's. Although some saliva testers seem to indicate the presence of alcohol fairly well, the enzyme alcohol oxidase used in these testers is easily effected by hot and cold temperatures.

Hot temperatures will tend to indicate falsely high readings, while cold temperatures will tend to indicate falsely low readings. Exposure to temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit or to ambient air will destroy the enzyme alcohol oxidase rendering the tester useless.

Most saliva testers give no indication if contamination has occurred, they just won't work. Saliva testers generally have a shelf life of one year or less. Additionally, most saliva testers, and few breath testers, have test results from independent laboratories. The disposable type breathalyzer alcohol detector has been validated by numerous independent laboratory tests.



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