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Thu 20 Apr, 2017 01:33 pm
I use isopropanol alcohol at work everyday. I use it from a standard hand sprayer. I get covered in it and breath it in. My question is would it show up in a police roadside breath test?
It's not just the police you need to worry about. I asked my girlfriend, who works in an industrial manufacturing pharmacy, and she says yes, it could affect a police breath measurement, but more importantly, they don't use isopropanol in sprays (only in wipes) because it is TOXIC. Don't bring food into your work area. Be aware it is highly flammable and the vapour can be explosive when mixed with air. You should be wearing protective clothing, including safety gloves and goggles. Eye contact is extremely hazardous. The area should also be well-ventilated and have a wash station nearby. This is the law in this country (UK). Does your country have work safety laws? Is your employer obeying them? What concentration are you using?
Read this:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pls/portallive/docs/1/31621699.PDF
Isopropanol affects driving skills just like ethanol, so if you failed a police breath test, you should not have been driving.
Another term used for isopropanol is rubbing alcohol. You're not supposed to drink it, of course, but the Material Safety Data sheet seems to say it's quite dangerous to put on your skin, which it apparently isn't. It probably can be too much if you rubbing it all over your body all the time, but for just rubbing it on your hands or arms it is hard to see how it's harmful.
Athlete's get rubbed down with the stuff all the time, and I spray it on my hands if I've been handling something oily.
Rubbing alcohols cover a number of different preparations: isopropanol or or ethanol based liquids, or the comparable British Pharmacopoeia defined surgical spirit, with isopropyl alcohol products being the most widely available. The term "rubbing alcohol" has become a general non-specific term for either isopropanol or ethanol rubbing-alcohol products.
The United States Pharmacopeia defines 'isopropyl rubbing alcohol USP' as containing approximately 70 percent by volume of pure isopropyl alcohol and defines 'rubbing alcohol USP' as containing approximately 70 percent by volume of denatured alcohol. In Ireland and the UK, the comparable preparation is surgical spirit B.P., which the British Pharmacopoeia defines as 95% methylated spirit*, 2.5% castor oil, 2% diethyl phthalate, and 0.5% methyl salicylate.
*Denatured alcohol, also called methylated spirits or denatured rectified spirit, is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonous, bad tasting, foul smelling or nauseating, to discourage recreational consumption. In some cases it is also dyed. Pyridine, methanol, or copper sulfate can be added to make denatured alcohol poisonous, and denatonium can be added to make it bitter. I have heard of naphtha being added also. Needless to say, prolonged or daily exposure to this kind of stuff is not a great idea.
@Blickers,
Blickers wrote:the Material Safety Data sheet seems to say it's quite dangerous to put on your skin, which it apparently isn't. It probably can be too much if you rubbing it all over your body all the time, but for just rubbing it on your hands or arms it is hard to see how it's harmful.
Athlete's get rubbed down with the stuff all the time, and I spray it on my hands if I've been handling something oily.
Occasional use and occupational exposure are different things.
Thanks guys for the answers so far. I use pure 100% isopropanol at work. I fit an anti-spall lining to armoured vehicles and i use the spray for cleaning both the liner and the vehicle. It is also used as a solvent for any sealant that has got onto the vehicle.
I am in the UK and I have read all the information that I can find about isopropanol but can't find anything about it affecting a police breath test.
I use gloves and safety glasses, you really don't want this stuff in your eye, it feels like a baseball bat hitting you!
I work in a well ventilated workshop but I have to use the spray in a confined area now and again (inside the vehicle).
@johnny840,
If you don't find any studies that tested people who inhaled isopropanol on a blood alcohol meter, those meters are available for not much more than $10. It's an option if you continue to have trouble finding the study you want.
Blood alcohol meters
@Blickers,
Thank you for the info. Might be worth investing in one.