There's a breathalyser that can detect cocaine within minutes - News - Mixmag
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There's a breathalyser that can detect cocaine within minutes

Experts hope it will soon be able to uncover other drugs

  • Patrick Hinton
  • 15 May 2018
There's a breathalyser that can detect cocaine within minutes

A new breathalyser that can detect cocaine within a matter of minutes has been developed by researchers at New York State’s Buffalo University.

The device uses microchip technology costing just seven pence, and through chemicals interacting with light can register whether drug traces are present in breath, urine, blood or saliva.

The technique, known as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, has been in use for a number of years, but this new development enables a faster detection speed at a small cost.

Scientists are hopeful this will soon be able to spot if people have taken other drugs, such as marijuana and opioids.

[Via: Deccan Chronicle]

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter

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