New 'Methalyzer' Scans the Breath For Amphetamine Use
Scanning the Breath for Amphetamines Copyright Olof Beck, Karolinska Institutet Breathalyzers aren't just for barflies anymore. Researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet have created a novel breath meter that can test for amphetamine and methamphetamine in a person's exhaled breath. Most drug tests -- like the kind you sweat every time you get a new job -- require either a urine or blood sample to test for controlled substances. Naturally, it would be easier and less expensive to conduct random drug tests or keep tabs on a patient's prescription drug use if there was a means to test for substances without the need for medical personnel and biological samples. That's not even taking into account the perceived slight to a person's integrity when you ask him or her for a urine sample. Breathalyzers, on the other hand, aren't considered particularly invasive, and require no medical oversight to operate. The methalyzer (clever nickname courtesy...