How your breath smells can tell someone a lot about you as a person. The contents of your breath may now be more revealing than ever, thanks to a marijuana breathalyzer recently developed by a UBC Okanagan researcher.
Dr. Mina Hoorfar, a professor in the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan and head of the Advanced Thermo-Fluidic Laboratory (AFTL), along with PhD student Mohammad Paknahad have developed a microfluid breath analyzer that can detect tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a key component of marijuana, in a person’s breath. Legalization for the recreational use of marijuana is currently a hot topic around the world, especially in Canada. With decriminalization, the issue of impaired driving is likely to arise. This technology could potentially be used for both self-monitoring and law enforcement purposes.
“If [someone is] using marijuana for medicinal, or any other purpose, they can use [the device] as a self-monitor for self-awareness, and they see… their level if they are under the influence for driving,” explained Hoorfar.
Most breathalyzers used for detecting alcohol levels work based on mass spectrometry. In contrast, the device developed by Hoorfar and her associates uses a nanotech sensor to detect gas molecules of THC in the breath. The device is sensitive up to one part per million (ppm) and can detect THC up to 12 hours after marijuana use. It is relatively cheap to produce and can be utilized in conjunction with a cell phone connected via Bluetooth. Close collaboration with law enforcement and the Department of Justice for the safe and effective employ of this device is a major objective moving forward.
Interestingly enough, the idea for this device came from Hoorfar’s work on diabetes.
“We started three years ago to make a non-invasive device for detection of diabetes from ketones in the breath. The idea started from the fact that I was just trying to do research on diabetes, and poking myself and it was so difficult actually, and painful. After a while, I lost the sensation in the tip of my fingers,” chuckled Hoorfar.
This technology has a wide variety of potential applications not just related to diabetes or marijuana use, such as detection of various biomarkers associated with a slew of different diseases, or potential applications in the natural gas industry: by attaching the microfluid analyzer to a drone, it may be able to detect gas leakages in remote and potentially dangerous areas along a pipeline.
The team hopes that the technology will be available on the market for personal use between spring and summer 2017.