Florida DUI defense lawyer Carlos Canet began his mission to obtain the computer source code that controls the operation of the Intoxilyzer 8000 in 2005. A series of infrared light filters in the Intoxilyzer create a ratio of infrared light absorption intensity that is then translated by the machine, yielding results. The machine is an intricate and delicate system, with each part dependent on the others.
Armed with the knowledge that CMI uses inferior products during the production process of the breath-testing machine, Mr. Canet confronted the problems, which includes sub-standard infrared light filters that result in sloppy measurement standards that fail to exclude other volatile organic chemical compounds in the breath. Due to poor standards of quality, these other compounds can create a false-positive reading as alcohol, a problematic misreading.
There has been much attention and controversy generated toward the process of obtaining breathalyzer results with the Intoxilyzer 8000 machine.
CMI, Inc., the company that manufacturers the Intoxilyzer has been taken to court due to issues regarding the disclosure of the "source code," that controls the operation of the device. The State of Florida has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Intoxilyzer 8000 breath-testing machine.
