Breathalyzers Discriminate Against Women Part 4

Studies have shown that the use of oral contraceptive steroids eliminate alcohol more efficiently than women who aren't using them. They reach their peak BAC's faster and return to lower levels more rapidly. This is a problem when the breath test used to estimate the BAC at the time of driving is not administered until 1-2 hours later. Also, pregnant women or ones using birth control pills had higher levels of acetylaldehyde on their breath because of a decreased ability to metabolize the enzyme as as their level of sex steroids increases. (Birth control pills work by increasing the level of sex steroid hormones to simulate pregnancy).

Since the breathalyzer machines measure the amount of acetylaldehyde in the breath and use it to calculate the BAC, this presents a problem. The machines actually measure those chemical compounds with a methyl group in their molecular structure. Both ethyl alcohol and acetylaldehyde have that same group. See O.C.S." Papple, "The Effects of Oral Contraceptive Steroids on the Rate of Post-Absorptive Phase Decline of Blood Alcohol Concentration in the Adult Woman, 15(1) Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal 17 (1982), Jeavons and Zeiner, "Effects of Elevated Female Sex Steroids on Ethanol and Acetaldehyde Metabolism in Humans", 8(4) Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 352 (1984).