Intoximeters

Intoximeters
Name	Intoximeters
Founded	1938
Founder	Robert F. Borkenstein
Headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri
Products	Breath alcohol analyzers, calibration solutions, accessories
Industry	Forensic instrumentation

Intoximeters is a manufacturer of breath alcohol testing instruments and related forensic products. The company produced widely used devices for roadside screening and evidentiary testing, contributing to the development of protocols adopted by agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and state-level Missouri Department of Revenue. Its instruments have been employed by entities including the National Institute of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the New York City Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

History

Intoximeters emerged in the 20th century amid public safety campaigns and scientific advances in forensic toxicology. The founder, Robert F. Borkenstein, was also associated with the Indiana State Police and the development of the Breathalyzer concept alongside contemporaries at institutions such as the University of Indiana Bloomington and the National Bureau of Standards. During the 1950s and 1960s, collaborations occurred with agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to standardize screening approaches. Over decades the company’s instruments were purchased by municipal authorities such as the Los Angeles Police Department and international agencies like the London Metropolitan Police Service, and used in notable programs promoted by figures like President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson who supported highway safety initiatives.

Technology and Types

Devices manufactured by the firm included handheld screening units, tabletop evidentiary instruments, and portable fuel cell analyzers. Technologies used span semiconductor oxide sensors, electrochemical fuel cells, and infrared spectrophotometry similar to equipment developed at the National Research Council (Canada) and commercialized by firms such as CETC International and Lifeloc Technologies. Model families mirrored design philosophies found in instruments from Drägerwerk and Smiths Detection, aimed at measuring volumetric breath samples and ppm levels. The company supplied calibration gases and wet-bath simulators analogous to those used by the Environmental Protection Agency and industrial gas suppliers like Airgas.

Operation and Calibration

Operational protocols for these analyzers involved controlled breath sampling, mouth alcohol exclusion techniques, and temperature stabilization, paralleling procedures from the American Society for Testing and Materials and laboratories at the Johns Hopkins University. Calibration used standard reference materials traceable to metrology institutes such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and often relied on certified gas cylinders and aqueous reference solutions similar to protocols endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization. Training and certification programs were offered to technicians from agencies including the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Florida Highway Patrol, with manuals reflecting best practices promoted by the American Chemical Society.

Applications and Use in Law Enforcement

Law enforcement adoption encompassed DUI checkpoints, post-crash investigations, and workplace testing under statutes enforced by bodies like the U.S. Department of Transportation and state legislatures such as the California State Legislature. Agencies ranging from the Metropolitan Police Service (London) to the Queensland Police Service acquired instruments for roadside screening and evidentiary procedures. Courts in jurisdictions such as the Supreme Court of the United States and various state appellate courts have considered admissibility of breath test results, often in contexts involving forensic experts from institutions like the Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Francisco.

Accuracy, Limitations, and Interferences

Accuracy assessments compared performance to blood alcohol concentrations measured in clinical settings such as the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Limitations included susceptibility to volatile organic compounds prevalent in environments studied by the Environmental Protection Agency and metabolic confounders noted in research from the National Institutes of Health. Interferences cited in technical literature involved compounds cataloged by the Chemical Abstracts Service and workplace exposures detailed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Validation studies have been published by forensic laboratories affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and academic groups at the University of Michigan.

Regulation, Standards, and Certification

Regulatory frameworks affecting these instruments were set by entities like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and state-level departments such as the New York State Department of Health. Standards referenced included those from the International Organization for Standardization, the American National Standards Institute, and the National Conference on Weights and Measures. Certification and approval processes involved testing at laboratories accredited by organizations such as the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation and compliance audits similar to programs run by the National Institute of Justice.

Category:Forensic equipment