Blood Alcohol Test

00:00:06.986 --> 00:00:09.360 Hi, I'm Andrew Mishlove from Mishlove & Stuckert. 00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:11.700 We are Wisconsin's only true specialists 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:14.500 in defense of accusations of impaired driving. 00:00:15.071 --> 00:00:16.758 Today I've got with me 00:00:16.958 --> 00:00:20.286 an official law enforcement blood testing kit. 00:00:20.287 --> 00:00:23.899 This is the kit that is distributed to hospitals 00:00:23.900 --> 00:00:27.400 around the state of Wisconsin, clinics, and police officers 00:00:27.714 --> 00:00:32.114 for the collection of blood from people who are accused of drunk and driving. 00:00:32.115 --> 00:00:34.086 I'd like to show you a few things in here. 00:00:34.657 --> 00:00:37.257 First of all, there are the vials themselves. 00:00:38.040 --> 00:00:39.914 These are called gray top vials. 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:44.843 In the blood testing world, these tops on these vials, 00:00:44.844 --> 00:00:46.171 you can see this one is gray, 00:00:46.172 --> 00:00:48.839 are color-coded for different kinds of tests. 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:52.957 There's dozens and dozens, if not more, different kinds of vials 00:00:52.958 --> 00:00:56.814 depending on what is being tested, what's the medical purpose of this. 00:00:57.720 --> 00:01:00.943 Grey top vials like this have some chemicals in the bottom. 00:01:00.944 --> 00:01:04.300 You can see a pinkish-white powder in there at the bottom. 00:01:04.301 --> 00:01:06.229 It's not too much, but it's in there. 00:01:07.986 --> 00:01:11.386 It contains sodium fluoride, and potassium oxalate. 00:01:13.529 --> 00:01:14.729 If you look carefully, 00:01:14.929 --> 00:01:18.143 you can't really see it, but there's an expiration date on here. 00:01:19.086 --> 00:01:20.371 The vial is glass. 00:01:20.900 --> 00:01:22.457 The stopper here is rubber, 00:01:23.386 --> 00:01:25.457 and rubber deteriorates 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:30.957 when in contact with oxygen, with sunlight. 00:01:31.314 --> 00:01:32.799 These things don't last forever. 00:01:32.800 --> 00:01:34.871 Eventually, the rubber will dry out, 00:01:35.429 --> 00:01:39.729 and this vial will no longer be vacuum-sealed and sterile. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:42.629 The other thing is it's temperature-dependent. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:45.529 Anytime you have a seal, 00:01:46.229 --> 00:01:48.657 think of your car when the weather changes, 00:01:48.658 --> 00:01:52.157 when it gets cold, sometimes people get slow leaks in their tires. 00:01:52.371 --> 00:01:55.686 The reason why is that when it gets cold, things change size. 00:01:55.687 --> 00:01:56.414 They contract. 00:01:57.114 --> 00:02:00.813 Steel or aluminum of your rim does that at a different rate 00:02:00.814 --> 00:02:03.800 than the rubber of your tire, and it can develop leaks. 00:02:03.801 --> 00:02:05.928 Well, the same thing can happen with these vials, 00:02:05.929 --> 00:02:08.370 and they have a temperature range they need to be stored in. 00:02:08.371 --> 00:02:12.057 It's 39 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. 00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:16.471 What we will see often is these vials are out of date. 00:02:16.472 --> 00:02:18.040 They're past their expiration date. 00:02:18.041 --> 00:02:19.720 They haven't been stored properly. 00:02:19.721 --> 00:02:21.757 They weren't refrigerated after use. 00:02:21.971 --> 00:02:23.929 There's all sorts of things that can go wrong 00:02:24.171 --> 00:02:26.643 before the blood even makes it to the laboratory. 00:02:27.686 --> 00:02:31.013 Here is the swab that a phlebotomist, 00:02:31.014 --> 00:02:34.257 the person who draws your blood, is supposed to use to cleanse your arm. 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:38.400 This swab, of course, doesn't have any alcohol in it. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:42.700 Now, in a hospital setting, most of the time, 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.314 the phlebotomist will swab your arm with alcohol 00:02:45.315 --> 00:02:47.357 because it's the best antiseptic. 00:02:47.586 --> 00:02:48.988 It dries really quickly, 00:02:48.989 --> 00:02:52.314 but that can't be used when you're testing for alcohol. 00:02:53.143 --> 00:02:57.186 They use this water-based stuff, Betadine or povidone. 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:01.519 The problem is this stuff, unlike alcohol does not dry quickly. 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.742 This takes a minute and a half or 2 minutes to dry. 00:03:04.743 --> 00:03:07.843 Not just a few seconds, like the alcohol swab. 00:03:08.643 --> 00:03:12.185 Very often, the phlebotomist, not understanding that, 00:03:12.186 --> 00:03:15.213 will simply wipe your arm, wait a few seconds, 00:03:15.214 --> 00:03:16.500 and stick the needle in. 00:03:17.243 --> 00:03:19.771 Your arm has not been properly sterilized. 00:03:19.772 --> 00:03:23.314 A contaminated sample can yield a false test result. 00:03:23.357 --> 00:03:25.645 These are just a few things you need to know 00:03:25.845 --> 00:03:29.114 if you're accused of drunk and driving and the stakes are high. 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:33.342 If your hopes and dreams, if your career, your family, 00:03:33.343 --> 00:03:37.470 the things you've worked for are at risk, call the experts, 00:03:37.471 --> 00:03:41.843 the people who understand the science of drunk and driving defense.