DWI Attorneys in Fairfax County Virginia have just received word that the new breath testing machines have arrived in Fairfax.   The Virginia Department of Forensic Science has selected a machine called the EC/IR II to replace the old and ailing Intoxilyzer 5000, which has been in use in Virginia since the mid-1990's.   

According to Fairfax County DWI Attorney Paul Liam McGlone, this "new" breath testing machine is based on technology that is 20 years old.  

The new device, from Intoximeters, Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri, is very similar to the Alcosensor devices that have been used for years by Fairfax and Virginia State Police on the streets for many years.   The Alcosensor IV is a portable device that uses a "Fuel Cell" to measure oxidation and estimate alcohol levels in a suspect. 

The new EC/IR II uses the exact same fuel cell, built into a more complicated computerized desktop system, to measure the levels of alcohol.   The ultimate estimate of blood alcohol level will come from the exact same fuel cell used in the portable