Inhaler triggers breath test

A Government-backed medication contains enough alcohol for users to fail a police roadside breath test, a Northland doctor says.
Whangarei's Dr Shane Reti also fears the asthma inhaler, containing the drug Salamol, has enough alcohol in the propellant to lead to its abuse.
"It could be the next glue," he says.
Glue-sniffing is a form of solvent abuse.
But the Government's medicines buyer, Pharmac, says the concerns are unfounded.
Salamol is set to replace Ventolin - estimated to be used by 90 percent of New Zealand's more than 600,000 asthma sufferers - as the country's sole Government-subsidised asthma inhaler from July 1.
Northland could have up to 23,000 asthma sufferers, based on figures that the region has 3.8 of New Zealand's total population.
Ventolin and Salamol both currently retail for $3, but Ventolin will jump in price to $12 to $15 on July 1.
Salamol is cheaper to make, and will save taxpayers $1.7 million over 18 months.
It is also free of chlorofluorocarbons, which are linked to the global warming effect.
But the inhaler's propellant contains an alcohol - ethanol - which led to a 62-year-old Whangarei woman teetotaller failing a roadside breath test.
A few minutes prior to testing, she had taken one puff of her Salamol inhaler.
The woman explained that she had just used her inhaler and was allowed to proceed on her journey.
After hearing of the case, Dr Reti ran a series of tests with Whangarei police.
His study found that two puffs of the Salamol inhaler were enough to fail a roadside test, which indicates if a person has recently consumed alcohol.
The inhaler user could also fail the next step - an evidential breath test - if they blew into a testing device immediately after using their Salamol device.
The user's alcohol content disappeared within 2 minutes.
Dr Reti said there was a danger that some people might use the inhalers as an excuse to avoid drink-driving charges or as a form of drug abuse.
Pharmac says Dr Reti's findings showed concerns were unfounded.
Pharmac medical director Dr Peter Moodie said the reports showed that a negative breath-alcohol reading was returned within three minutes of using a Salamol inhaler.
"The paper is interesting but in practical terms, the issue it raises is a red herring," Dr Moodie said.
"We know there are a number of chemicals and indeed freely available products that contain very small amounts of alcohol. Some of these can be picked up by breath-alcohol testing equipment.
"What this paper shows is that no-one is at any risk of prosecution as a result of using Salamol asthma inhalers.
"People who use this inhaler will be putting small amounts of alcohol into their mouth, but this is evaporated in about one to two minutes," Dr Moodie said.
"Intoxication occurs when alcohol affects the brain.
"Taking a couple of puffs on a Salamol inhaler puts a small amount of alcohol in your mouth, not in your brain," he said.
Northland road policing and operations manager Inspector Rob Lindsay said anything with an alcohol content - including mouthwash - could trigger the initial breath test.
But there were adequate safeguards to ensure people who used the inhalers did not fail an evidential breath test.
Those who failed the initial test underwent a further two tests culminating in an evidential test before a fail was recorded.
The time lapses between tests meant it was unlikely that a person using an inhaler would get a failed result.