Take a deep breath & blow into straw: Breath analysers are back in biz

CHENNAI: After a gap of more than six months, the traffic police in Chennai have started deploying breath analyser to catch drunk drivers. The practice was temporarily stopped over fears of Covid spread when the pandemic was still in its nascent stage. Now, as the cases are surging without any sign of abatement, the redeployment of breath analyser could prove to be a risky exercise.  

Arachanaa Sekar, a city-based activist, said she was “shocked” to see the way a traffic personnel was using the breath analyser on Cathedral Road on September 19.  “The policeman was not wearing gloves. He was using his hands to remove the strips on which the motorists had blown.

He would end up using the same hand to replace the strip, posing a risk to another motorist or to himself,” she said. “Is it so important to do breath analyser test during the Covid time? This would put the traffic police in continuous contact with everyone who is driving. Also, the discarded strips were carelessly thrown to a corner of the road,” she said.

A government doctor said it is doubtful if the single-use mouth pipes in breath analyser would be replaced every time. “If they accidently forget to change it, the next person using the device could be at risk.” Meanwhile, speaking to Express, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said he would look into the matter. “It is not advisable to use breath analyser now. If at all the police want to check, they can take the person concerned to a hospital,” he said. 

Public health expert Dr K Kolandaswamy said the police should maintain a certain distance from the motorists when they blow the air. The official should also wear a face mask. If they follow these precautions, then the device can be used.” A senior police officer said they are following the standard operating procedure (SOP) given by the Health Department.

“As per the SOP, the breath analyser will be fixed on the police vehicle. The user has to get down from the vehicle, blow the air and discard the strip in the bin kept next to the vehicle. The users should take new strips and fix it by themselves.

The police will just monitor them from a distance and will be wearing masks and face shields.” The Director of Public Health, however, said they have not issued any particular advisory for using breath analysers. He further said it is very important to have interdepartmental coordination while fighting such a pandemic.