Our breathalyzer: what do "allowed" ppm mean? The error of the breathalyzer when checking for the state of intoxication is 0 17 ppm what will be.

On Saturday I was stopped by traffic police officers and told to undergo an intoxication test. The breathalyzer showed 0.17 mg per liter of alcohol. But the device has an error of about 0.05 mg per liter. Can I be held liable if the reading of the device minus the error of the device is less than indicated in the article of the code?

• Question: No. 487 dated: 2014-03-04.

According to Part 1 of Art. 12.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, driving a vehicle by a driver in a state of intoxication shall entail the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of thirty thousand rubles with deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of one and a half to two years.

At the same time, the article contains a note of the following nature: the use of substances that cause alcohol or drug intoxication, or psychotropic or other intoxicating substances is prohibited. The administrative responsibility provided for by this Article and part 3 of Article 12.27 of this Code arises in the case of an established fact of the use of substances causing alcohol intoxication, which is determined by the presence of absolute ethyl alcohol in a concentration exceeding the possible total measurement error, namely 0.16 milligram per one liter of exhaled air, or in the case of the presence of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in the human body.

At the moment, the procedure for medical examination for the state of intoxication is established by the Instructions for conducting a medical examination for the state of intoxication of the person who drives the vehicle, and filling out the registration form 307 / U-05 "Act of medical examination that drives the vehicle", approved by the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation from 07/14/2003 N 308 "On medical examination for the state of intoxication."

Until recently, the specified instruction contained clause 16, which sounded as follows: the conclusion about the state of intoxication as a result of alcohol consumption is made in case of positive results of the determination of alcohol in the exhaled air using one of the technical measuring instruments carried out at intervals of 20 minutes, or when using not less than two different technical means of indicating the presence of alcohol in the exhaled air using both of them for each examination carried out with an interval of 20 minutes. In paragraph 16 of the Act, it is noted that the collection of a biological object for chemical and toxicological research was not carried out.

That is, the doctor could make a conclusion about the state of intoxication with positive results of determining the alcohol in the exhaled air.

This provision of the Instruction was contrary to the provisions of the note to Art. 12.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation.

On November 28, 2013, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a decision No. AKPI13-1077, in which, having considered a civil case, decided to invalidate the first sentence of paragraph 16 of the Instructions for conducting a medical examination for the state of intoxication of a person who drives a vehicle and filling out registration form No. 307 / u-05 "Act of medical examination for the state of intoxication of the person who drives the vehicle", approved by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated July 14, 2003 N 308, in terms of issuing an opinion on the state of intoxication as a result of alcohol consumption with positive results of alcohol determination in the exhaled air without taking into account the permissible level of the presence of absolute ethyl alcohol in a concentration not exceeding the possible total measurement error, namely 0.16 milligram per one liter of exhaled air.

Thus, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation actually obliged doctors to take into account the error of devices and not establish the state of intoxication with indicators less than 0.16 milligrams per liter of exhaled air.

At the same time, the note speaks precisely of the concentration exceeding the possible total measurement error. The limit of this concentration is 0.16 mg / l. The law in no way justifies the use of alcohol while driving, the 0.16 mg / l norm was introduced precisely as a protection against instrument errors.

Consequently, the error of a specific breathalyzer, with the help of which your state of intoxication was determined, equal to 0.05 mg / l is included in the permitted 0.16 mg / l. And since the breathalyzer already showed 0.17 mg / l with a possible error, then in relation to you, the determination of the presence of intoxication was legally justified.

Attention! The information provided in the article is current at the time of its publication.

Amendments have been made to the legislation of the Russian Federation regarding zero alcohol content in human blood. According to the new decree, the driver has the right to have 0.16 ppm in his blood when passing an alcohol test.

However, the question arises, 0.16 ppm in the blood, how many liters of alcohol can you drink?

Many citizens believe that the new law allows drinking alcoholic beverages while driving.

What is ppm?

Ppm -this is a value that allows you to identify the alcohol content in the air exhaled by a person. Scientists conducted studies in which they found that 1% alcohol is equal to 10% ppm. This value is considered the most accurate when measuring the amount of alcoholic beverages in the body.

This indicator is used by breathalyzers, and in the laboratory, when taking blood, a chemical analysis is carried out in ppm.

For each person there is an individual calculation of alcohol in exhaled air. Everyone knows that women are much more susceptible to alcohol than men. In ladies, ethanol is absorbed into the bloodstream faster, so the accumulation of alcohol is higher.

To accurately measure the amount of alcohol in the body, it is necessary to test 30 minutes after the last glass of alcoholic product. Since at this time in the body its highest concentration is observed.

Permille will accurately show the amount of alcohol drunk, what kind of alcohol the person was drinking, how much alcohol contained the revolutions, and how long it takes for the body to completely cleanse itself of the ethanol it contains.

In order for testing to show accurate results, it is necessary to take into account some individual characteristics. What weight and height a person has, age, gender. It is necessary to take into account the content of liquid substances in the body when analyzing.

There are some rules to follow when drinking alcohol. They will help slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, as well as improve well-being. While drinking it is imperative to have a snack, the food should be fatty and heavy, this helps to slow down the penetration of ethanol into the internal organs.

After taking alcohol, it is advisable not to go to bed, since during sleep the body rests, which means that the cleansing process does not occur.

These rules are suitable for those who drank a very small amount of alcoholic beverage. You can get behind the wheel of a car after one hour, since during this time the amount of alcohol in the exhaled air will significantly decrease.

How much alcohol can you drink?

After the adoption of the law, many became interested in how much alcohol can be drunk and at the same time drive a vehicle.

It is rather difficult to answer the question. Each person has an individual attitude to alcohol. One can drink 0.5 vodka and still feel great. And another person, when drinking beer in the amount of 0.5 liters, may feel strong intoxication. This law does not permit the consumption of alcohol in large quantities.

The government has canceled the zero rate due to the fact that many foods and medicines contain ethyl alcohol. From this food and medicine, the driver will not be very drunk, so you can safely sit behind the wheel and not worry that your driver's license will be taken away.

For those who like to drink strong drinks, you need to be careful. At a rate of 0.16 ppm, it is permissible to drink a small amount, for example, 50 grams of cognac or vodka, 200 ml of champagne and wine, 0.5 liters of light beer. It is not recommended to drink dark beer, it contains much more alcohol, and also slows down its elimination from the body.

Important to rememberthat if you feel that you are very drunk from alcohol, then it is better not to drive a vehicle. In case of severe intoxication, the device can show 2 ppm, and this threatens with the deprivation of a driver's license for a maximum period.

With such a rate, the driver cannot control everything that happens on the road. Therefore, it creates a danger for all road users.

Should you drink before driving?

Of course, the state agreed to meet the drivers and allowed the presence of alcohol in the blood. However, 0.16 ppm exhaled equals 0.35 blood alcohol. This is a very small amount of ethyl alcohol. You also need to be careful, the law is designed to prevent corruption, since most breathalyzers have deviations.

This law helps to ensure that a person who does not drink is not subject to administrative punishment. But for a driver under the influence of intoxication, the law is unlikely to help avoid punishment.

A drunk driver can easily become a participant in an accident, since the concentration of attention is greatly reduced, the reaction can be delayed. It is quite difficult to hide a strong alcoholic intoxication, any traffic police officer, smelling alcohol, will ask to be tested with a breathalyzer, the device will indicate the content of the exceeded norm in the blood.

If the driver does not agree with the testimony of the breathalyzer, he can be examined by a medical institution.

If, after consuming alcoholic beverages, it becomes necessary to get behind the wheel of a car, then it is necessary to calculate the approximate amount of time it takes to completely remove alcohol from the body.

There is a table that will allow you to make an approximate calculation. However, it must be remembered that all indicators are highly individual.

A man weighing 85 kg drinks a 0.5 liter bottle of beer. Complete cleansing of the body will occur in 2 hours. After this period has expired, you can safely get behind the wheel and the device will not indicate the percentage of alcohol in the body.

But a person with a lower body weight, for example, 65 kg, needs to wait about 3.5 hours before getting behind the wheel. If a person has consumed a large amount of alcohol, then at least 17 hours should pass before driving.

If there is an opportunity to refrain from traveling, then it is better not to drive a car after drinking alcohol. Life and health are much more important.

It is intended for self-determination of blood alcohol concentration based on the quantity and quality of alcoholic beverages drunk.

The reasons people drink alcohol can be very different. Someone uses intoxicating drinks for relaxation, someone in order to gain courage, and someone in order to forget and get away from problems. In all cases, do not forget that excessive alcohol consumption has a detrimental effect on human health and can lead to irreversible consequences.

Our calculator can be useful in different cases:

• If you plan to drive after a meal;
• You want to calculate the maximum allowable alcohol dose for yourself;
• You want to know how long after drinking alcoholic beverages you will be able to fearlessly drive a car, etc.

Knowing the exact concentration of ethanol (pure alcohol) in your blood at a given time, you will be able to make decisions regarding travel as a driver of a vehicle and calculate the time interval before the onset of sobriety.

Drunk driving law

Statistics show that about a third of all road traffic accidents are due to drunk drivers. Unsurprisingly, the country has a law prohibiting driving while intoxicated.

Prior to 2010, there were restrictions on the acceptable level of ethanol in the blood and exhaled air. Thus, the maximum possible alcohol level in the blood was 0.3 ppm, and in the exhaled air - 0.15 mg / l. Thus, one could fearlessly drive, for example, after a bottle of weak beer.

Since August 6, 2010, the requirements have been tightened. Now the concentration of alcohol in the blood and in the exhaled air should be zero. If a drunk driver still dares to get behind the wheel of a car, then he may be deprived of his driver's license for a period of one and a half to two years (according to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Article 12.8). The same punishment is provided for in the event that the driver handed over the control of the car to a person who is intoxicated.

It is important to understand that the driver is now recognized as drunk only according to the testimony of a special device - a breathalyzer. A breathalyzer is a special technical device that is used to determine the concentration of ethanol in the exhaled air.

Foods and drinks that increase ppm

Even if the driver does not consume alcoholic beverages at all, he still should not lose his vigilance, because a certain amount of ppm is found in various other products. For example, yeast kvass contains from 0.1 to 0.6 ppm, and kefir and ayran contains 0.2 ppm.
A small amount of ethanol is also released in many fruits: oranges, bananas. Among the ingredients, alcohol can be found in chocolate, cakes, pastries. Also, alcohol-containing medicines can affect the readings of the breathalyzer. Among such medicines are motherwort, corvalol, valerian, calendula, etc.

How long does alcohol last?

Unfortunately, there are no universal indicators of the time of the content of a particular portion of alcohol in the blood. Each person is unique, the rate of absorption of alcohol is different for everyone. Here are some of the factors that affect the speed of this process:

• Height, weight of a person. The higher these indicators are, the larger portion a person needs for intoxication;
• Floor. In most cases, women get drunk faster than men;
• Genetic predisposition. Alcohol sensitivity is inherited;
• General condition of the body. For example, a dose of alcohol drunk on an empty stomach will intoxicate faster and, accordingly, remain in the blood longer.

Since the toxic effect of alcohol can take different periods even for one person, you should not take the readings of the calculator literally.
However, the average alcohol concentration in the human body can be calculated. It is known that different drinks are intoxicating in different ways. For example, the concentration of alcohol in the body of a man weighing 80 kg will be 0.3 ppm (this is the term for the unit of measurement of alcohol) if he has drunk:

• 50 grams of vodka;
• Or 200 grams of dry wine;
• Or 500 grams of beer.

The maximum concentration of alcohol in the human body lasts from 30 minutes to several hours after drinking, then gradually fades away.

In order for you to independently calculate the amount of alcohol in your blood, you need to enter data on your field, weight in the form fields, indicate whether you consumed drinks on an empty stomach or not, and also mark all types of drinks you have drunk and indicate their portion.

Now a person who has at least a hundredth part of a ppm in his blood does not have the right to drive. And therefore, from now on, not only non-alcoholic beer, koumiss and chocolate will be dangerous for motorists, but even, it turns out, the very thoughts about alcohol! All of this can increase the blood alcohol level up to 0.3-0.4 ppm. "MK" in St. Petersburg found out

What products and thoughts drivers will now have to give up

For a person who has not consumed alcohol, 0.0 ppm is a completely normal state of the body, says Natalya Subashy, a narcologist with 20 years of experience. “But some foods do raise blood alcohol levels. If the packaging says that the product contains alcohol even in small quantities, then it is better to refuse it. You shouldn't drink non-alcoholic beer. There is often a degree. Kvass is as dangerous as kumis.

Immediately after the drunk jar of kvass, the breathalyzer shows, as a rule, 0.4 ppm. This is already quite enough to send the "fined" driver for a blood test. Non-alcoholic beer gives 0.2 ppm.
The situation with kumis is not much better. After a can of this drink is drained, the blood alcohol level rises to 0.3 ppm. It is best to give up juice while driving.

For the production of juices, they now use a special concentrate based on alcohol, - explains Natalya Subashy. - He has a habit of wandering. If the juice package has been out of the refrigerator for some time, then it is better not to drink it. There will necessarily be a small amount of alcohol in the blood.

Strangely enough, kefir turned out to be a stronghold of safety for drivers. Even if you drink 2 liters of this drink, the breathalyzer will be “silent”. To get drunk, you will have to miraculously “destroy” a bucket of kefir at a time. Doctors equate this "horse dose" with 30 grams of vodka.

Two control exhalations

But not only drinks can now let the driver down. The list of dangerous foods includes candy, fruit, baked goods, and even a spray mouth freshener.

The mouth freshener spray, as a rule, contains ethyl alcohol, says Natalya Subashy. - Therefore, the breathalyzer may well show 0.4-0.5 ppm. Even a smoked cigarette is now dangerous. You can believe she will add her ppm.

So, after 25 sweets with cognac, 50 grams of alcohol enters the body. And one harmless baba cake can increase your blood alcohol level to 0.3 ppm. Overripe bananas and oranges are also cause for concern.

However, not everything is so bad. Already in 20-30 minutes after the "dangerous" lunch, the breathalyzer will not show even a hundredth part of a ppm.

Be sure to insist on two measurements with an alcometer, says Natalya Subashy. - 20 minutes after the first procedure, the result may be completely different. If you are still confused by something, it is worth having a blood test. You cannot be denied this requirement.
It is worth paying attention to the breathalyzer. Its model must be approved for use in Russia. And the test itself can only take place with the participation of two attesting witnesses.

"Dangerous" foods (after them, the concentration of alcohol in the blood rises)

• Non-alcoholic beer - 0.1-0.4 ppm
• Chocolate candy (8 pieces) or Halls Mentol candy - 0.1 ppm
• Thoughts on alcohol - 0.1 - 0.12 ppm
• Alcohol-containing medicines (40 drops of motherwort, corvalol, valocordin, calendula, valerian, valoserdin, barboval, as well as tinctures: pepper, menthol, hawthorn, peony and licorice root) - 0.1 ppm
• Yeast kvass (0.5 liters) - 0.1-0.6 ppm
• Orange - 0.17 ppm
• Slightly fermented kefir, yogurt, curdled milk - 0.2 ppm
• Cigarette - 0.2 ppm
• Black bread with sausage -0.2 ppm
• Slightly overripe banana -0.22 ppm
• Koumiss - 0.3 ppm
• Baba Rum - 0.3 ppm
• 25 chocolates with vodka or cognac - 0.3-0.4 ppm
• Juices - 0.4 ppm
• Oral cavity freshener spray - 0.4-0.5 ppm

Drivers who are forced to undergo a breathalyzer test are interested in the question of the permissible ppm. The introduction of the definition of "maximum permissible concentration of alcohol in the blood" made it possible to think that you can drink, but only to the required degree so that the readings of the breathalyzer are not too exceeded. But you should know what the measuring device shows, how to read and interpret it correctly.

Promille: designation of the concept

Before determining the volume of drunk, characterized by this or that value in ppm, one should understand the unit of measurement itself. It does not hurt to find out what dose of alcohol is taken per unit, the effect of the standard dose on human behavior and other parameters. So, ppm is a thousandth of a percent. Being one of the smallest and most accurate units, the indicator is calculated as follows: 1% contains 10 ppm. It is this unit that is taken for calculating alcohol in the laboratory, since the percentage is too large.

Important! When calculating and interpreting the readings, one should take into account the sex of the person, his weight and metabolism. The toxic effect exerted by alcohol differs: for women, the standard is 60%, for men 65-75%, therefore, the same dose of drinks accumulates ppm faster in the female body.

How many ppm are in alcoholic beverages?

Is one ppm in the blood a lot or a little? It should be remembered about such norms as:

1. A half-liter bottle of vodka contains 200 ml of pure alcohol, which is converted into 2.5 ‰ (designation per mille) in the body of a healthy man weighing 75 kg. Such indications of a breathalyzer are classified as serious intoxication.

1. Cognac shows about the same as vodka - 2.5 ‰;
2. Half a liter of beer (one bottle) contains 0.32 ‰, that is, a quarter of a liter will show only 0.16 ‰ on the measuring device - but this indicator can be attributed to the standard errors of the device.
3. A drink up to 12% with a volume of 0.7 liters will show 12 ‰.

Much depends on the degree and assimilation of the drink by a person. For example, champagne is quickly absorbed by showing on the tester ‰, but it is just as quickly removed. And the devices can also catch the vapors of alcohol contained in the exhalation - that is, those residues that remain in a person even after sobering up completely.

Self-counting ppm

The highest peak in blood alcohol concentration occurs about half an hour after taking a dose. Knowing the calculation in units of ‰, it is easy to calculate the following values:

• The amount of ethyl alcohol in the body over time;
• Drink volume;
• Alcohol release date.

Factors such as gender, age, weight and volume of the drink consumed from the very beginning will need to be clarified. And now an example of calculating ppm:

• A man weighing 82 kg drank 0.5 liters of vodka;
• The mass of the liquid will be approximately 54.4 kg - the standards allow the volume of water in the male body up to 70%;
• The ethanol content in vodka is 500 * 0.4 \u003d 200 ml, which in grams is 200 * 0.79 \u003d 158 g. (indicator 0.79 is the density of undiluted ethanol). Theoretically, the content of 100% alcohol will be 142.2 grams. (158 gr. - 10%);
• Total calculation ‰ \u003d 142.5 / 57.4 \u003d 2.48 ‰.

The formula is extremely simple, so everyone can calculate the presence of ‰ in the body at one time or another. It is important that the number of indications does not exceed the legal norms. For simplicity of calculations, the following data are given - a separate table for women and men.

The concentration of alcohol in the blood of men (‰) by weight and number of doses drunk:

Blood alcohol concentration in women (‰) by weight and number of doses consumed:

Allowable limits of indications of breathalyzer

In order to read the readings correctly, you should understand what standards are regulated in certain countries. In particular, the largest allowable rate is ‰ 1.00 in some US states. But Hungary, Czechoslovakia and a number of other countries generally do not allow the presence of alcohol in the blood, that is, ‰ \u003d 0.00. In Russia, in 2008, an admissible norm of 0.3 ‰ was adopted, however, the law was adopted taking into account the errors of measuring instruments, the characteristics of the organism, that is, factors affecting the readings of the device. This situation led to a complete ban on the use of alcoholic beverages and "zero ‰", which also turned out to be impossible due to the characteristics of the human body and inaccuracies in measurements on the breathalyzer.

In 2013, the permissible indicator returned again, amounting to 0.16 ‰ during exhalation or 0.3 ‰ in the blood. Breathalyzer readings in this interval are considered the norm, there are no claims to the drivers. However, the inaccuracy of these measuring instruments often leads to a situation where the slightest excess in ppm leads to the fact that the motorist is considered drunk and punished to the fullest extent of the law. There is only one way out - do not drink while driving, before the intended trip and let the alcohol out of the body after the previous rest.