Dräger Alcotest 7410 GLC Operator's Manual
Alcotest 7410 GLC
Operator Manual
Prepared By:
Toxicology Services
National Forensic Services
(Amended April 2011)
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................. 1
Physiology of Breath Testing .................................................... 2
Description .................................................................. 3
Operation of The Alcotest 7410 GLC ............................................. 4
Theoretical Considerations ...................................................... 6
Precautions When Using The GLC ............................................... 7
Discrepancies Between the ASD and Evidentiary Results .............................. 8
Error Messages And Maintenance ................................................ 9
Law and Field Use of the Alcotest 7410 GLC ...................................... 10
Glossary and Abbreviations .................................................... 13
Note:
The instructions, procedures and policies included in this manual were in effect
at the time of its writing. They are subject to revisions imposed by amendments
to the Criminal Code, Saskatchewan Traffic Safety Act or the Vehicle
Administration Act, case law decisions, manufacturers instructions and changes
to RCMP or other police department policies.
Introduction
Alcotest 7410 GLC User’s Manual
A peace officer must have reasonable and
probable grounds to believe a person has
committed an offence under Section 253 of
the Criminal Code before demanding an
evidentiary breath test. This means the
peace officer must believe that the person
was driving while either 1) impaired or
2) the blood alcohol concentration exceeded
80 mg% (milligrams of alcohol in 100
millilitres of blood). It is important for the
peace officer to understand the distinction
between these two possibilities.
Grounds for impaired driving are acquired
by observing the driving pattern, physical
appearance and other symptoms displayed
by the subject. Sobriety tests can be useful,
too, although you may need to give a
warning to the subject to avoid admissibility
issues in court. Obtaining grounds this way
is often time-consuming and dependent on
the experience and judgement of the peace
officer. Also, individuals experienced in the
consumption of alcohol may show few or no
effects and avoid detection.
still represent a high risk of being
responsible for a motor vehicle accident.)
To detect impaired drivers, the peace officer
needs to use the second means of acquiring
reasonable and probable grounds. This is a
roadside test that allows the peace officer to
form the belief that the BAC exceeds
80 mg%.
The development of accurate and rapid
scientific instruments capable of being used
at the roadside was a major milestone in
impaired driving enforcement. The first
approved screening device (ASD) was
introduced in 1977. Several different
instruments are currently included in the
Approved Screening Devices Order.
Among them are the Alcotest 7410 PA3 and
the Alcotest 7410 GLC. Both of these are
distributed and serviced in Canada by
Dräger Canada of Mississauga, Ontario. The
PA3 and GLC are identical except that the
PA3 gives analog readings only
(PASS-ALERT-FAIL) while the GLC gives
a digital readout in the PASS range.
The average blood alcohol concentration
(BAC) of drivers apprehended this way is in
the range of 160 to 170 mg%, well beyond
the legal limit. This means that mostly
intoxicated drivers are apprehended in this
manner and not impaired drivers.
(Intoxicated drivers are severely impaired
and demonstrate gross physical symptoms.
Impaired drivers show few symptoms but
NOTE: Saskatchewan uses the GLC model
almost exclusively and reference will be
made throughout this manual to the GLC.
Unless otherwise indicated, all information
also applies to the PA3. For conciseness,
“GLC” is sometimes used as an
abbreviation for “Alcotest 7410 GLC.”
A peace officer should have thorough
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Alcotest 7410 GLC User’s Manual
knowledge of the GLC before using it to
obtain grounds for an approved instrument
demand. The following material will
describe the operation, some theoretical
Physiology of Breath Testing
This brief chapter is included to explain
how breath samples are used to determine
the blood alcohol concentration.
When a person consumes an alcoholic
beverage, it passes from the mouth and
esophagus to the stomach and small
intestine where it is absorbed into the blood
stream. The absorption of alcohol is quite
rapid, generally taking 20 to 30 minutes
after consumption to reach the maximum
reading. The absorption time is affected by
the type and amount of food in the stomach
and the type of beverage consumed. Once in
the blood stream, the alcohol is distributed
to all parts of the body including the lungs,
brain and liver. It is the depressant action of
alcohol in the brain that causes impairment
and intoxication.
Elimination of the alcohol begins
immediately after it has entered the blood.
Most of the alcohol (90 – 98%) is
eliminated by metabolism in the liver. The
remainder (2 – 10%) is eliminated
considerations, and law and policy
concerning the use of the
Alcotest 7410 GLC.
unchanged through urine, sweat, breath and
other body fluids. Unlike absorption, the
elimination process is slow. The average
elimination rate is 15 mg% per hour.
The basis for all breath test instruments is
that alcohol is eliminated unchanged in the
breath. There is a fixed and known
relationship between the amount of alcohol
in the breath and the amount of alcohol in
the blood. This relationship (essentially the
principle of breath testing) is:
2100 parts of deep lung air contain the
same amount of alcohol as one part
of blood.
Because this ratio has been well established
in scientific experiments, it is possible to
collect a measured volume of breath,
analyze it for alcohol and convert the result
to a blood alcohol content. This principle is
used by all breath test instruments,
including the GLC.
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Description
Alcotest 7410 GLC User’s Manual
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