Unhygienic breathalysers scare commuters

Repeated use of straws with minimal safety measures has every potential to expose them to dreadful diseases like swine flu and Hepatitis B

Hyderabad: Commuters in the city are feeling outrageous whenever they are being forced to blow into the unhygienic breathalysers to prove their innocence during the special drunken drive being carried out by the traffic police.

The repeated use of straws with minimal safety measures has every potential to expose them to dreadful diseases like swine flu and Hepatitis B. Several commuters are complaining that traffic personnel who are carrying out the test are oblivious to the dangers of using unhygienic straws, which are often used more than once to check the content of alcohol in a person.

One of the commuters, 26-year-old software engineer V Manas said that while passing through the Necklace Road, he was stopped by the traffic police and asked to blow in to a breathalysers though he did not consume alcohol.

"I was startled as the constable asked me to use the same straw that was tested by a drunk person just before I was asked to complete the formality. I felt very uncomfortable using the same machine. I just blew air real hard to get away from awkward situation. I was afraid of catching infection as I did not know the number of times the constable might have used the straw," he said.

A young teacher, who did not wish to be identified, said when she was returning home from a party along with her friend, she was stopped at Begumpet by the traffic police who were on the lookout for drunk drivers.

"I fell sick after blowing air in to the breathalyser as every commuter on the stretch was being made to blow air in to it. Two men before us were made to go through a similar exercise. Though we were allowed to go free, we saw traffic personnel use the same straw for testing their alcohol levels.

When I informed the constable about the health hazards of frequent blowing by difference people in to a breathalyser, he told me to walk away," she said. Doctors are of the view that the use of a single straw for many suspects could spread diseases like swine flu.

Though introduction of breathalysers by the traffic police was a good initiative and has worked to a large extent in cracking down on drunk drivers, there are issues of hygiene that should also be kept in mind. Dr Abhinay, a general physician, said he had observed that the same machine was being used to test many suspects within a short intervals.

"This could cause air borne diseases, bacterial and viral infections because of the saliva from multiple users," he said.Sharing information about the ill-effects of repetitive use of breathalyser, Junior Doctors Association President Dr G Srinivas told The Hans India that due to repeated use of the same straw in a breathalyser by commuters, they are vulnerable to upper respiratory tract and lower respiratory tract infections.

"This could cause repeated sneezing and dreadful diseases like Swine flu through repeated use of the same breathalyser," he said. Senior consultant interventional pulmonologist at Continental Hospital Dr Vishwanath Gella explains that unhygienic usage of a breathalyser could even cause Hepatitis B.

Additional commissioner of traffic Jitender clarified that police personnel use disposable straws during every drunken drive. "We exhaust at least 500 straws during each drunken drive. We are equally conscious of commuters and we are aware of the complications arising out of repeated use of straws and frequent blowing into a breathalyser," he said.

Doctors said whenever a commuter is made to go through the test, certain precautions need to be observed. A disposable straw needs to be used to test each individual and disposed of in front of the commuter. They further said that breathalyser have to be sterilized using appropriate measures as and when possible.