Pungent durian causes false positive in motorist’s alcohol breath test

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One motorist in Jiangsu, China, failed a breathalyzer test and ascribed the blame to the odorous durian fruit.

The driver, identified only as Jiang, was stopped for a roadside alcohol breath test in Nantong, as per Qianjiang Evening News via The South China Morning Post on May 3. The incident happened last April 17 and showed Jiang’s blood alcohol level at 34mg per 100ml.

Jiang asserted he did not drink alcohol and asked authorities to test his blood.

“I did not drink,” he was quoted as saying. “I’ve still got the shell of the durian I just ate. You should test my blood.”

Jiang was brought to a hospital where his blood was taken, which was then assessed at the Nantong police testing center, as per the report. The result, which was released last April 23, showed there was no trace of alcohol in Jiang’s blood, prompting authorities to drop the charge against him and return his license.

Authorities decided to see whether eating durian would lead to a false positive in an alcohol breath test. One officer, Yu Pengxiang, demonstrated the experiment by eating a mouthful of durian, as captured in a video by Pear Video. His breath was then tested and showed a blood alcohol level of 36mg/100ml, as per the report.

The police have since explained this was due to the fruit’s high sugar content, which can turn into alcohol as it ripens.  Cody Cepeda /ra

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