Is a 0.016 considered a positive breath alcohol test result?

Unlike drug testing, there is no single cut-off level that defines a positive alcohol test result.  Each agency and company must establish a cut-off level that will define a “positive” alcohol test.  In general, AlcoPro recommends that for non-evidential testing such as in treatment programs, half-way houses, etc., that agencies use a cut-off level of 0.010.  This means that results less than 0.010, such as 0.009, 0.008, etc., are considered negative tests.

AlcoPro recommends using a cut-off level of 0.020 for evidential testing, such as in the workplace.  Using a 0.020 cut-off level means that results of 0.019 and lower are considered negative test results.

See our article on Zero Tolerance Alcohol Testing for a more detailed discussion on cut-off levels.