What does a negative slope indicate during testing?

A negative slope during testing on the Intoxilyzer 9000 indicates the presence of residual alcohol in the mouth rather than indicating accurate measurements of intoxication or complete alcohol elimination. When the slope is negative, it implies that the alcohol content detected is not solely from breath but is potentially influenced by residual alcohol present in the oral cavity, which can skew the results.

Understanding the implications of a negative slope is critical for ensuring the accuracy of the test results. In context, high levels of alcohol would typically produce a significant positive result rather than a negative slope. Complete alcohol elimination would suggest that there is no detectable alcohol remaining, which would also not result in a negative slope. Finally, an accurate measurement would show a consistently increasing slope rather than a negative trend, indicating that the device is properly detecting the alcohol concentration as it should. Thus, recognizing what a negative slope indicates is crucial for interpreting test results effectively and determining the validity of the readings.