The breath analyzers market is expected to grow from US$ 1,188.76 million in 2022 to US$ 3,685.94 million by 2030; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.19% from 2022 to 2030.
The growing alcohol consumption and alcohol-impaired accidents and false results by breath analyzers are the noteworthy factors driving the breath analyzers market growth.
A breath analyzers device is used to determine the amount of alcohol in the system of persons suspected of being intoxicated or to detect the presence of infection or disease. Also, several breath analyzers devices are still in the development phase for the detection of disease and infectious agents. For example, a breath analyzers may be developed for sensitivity to certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath that are associated with the presence of disease.
Government Support and Advanced Technologies Implementation for Breath Analyzers
According to the WHO 2023 report, after the contentious debate, Brazil's supreme court declared the country's "Drink-Driving Law" completely constitutional in August 2022. This is due to crashes standing as one of the top three causes of death among Brazilian population aged between 5 and 39 years. Among these deaths, alcohol consumption-led accidents account for nearly 10% of all deaths due to road traffic crashes in the country. Also, Brazil's supreme court implemented and announced that the police would carry the breath analyzers tests and administer drinkers to control alcohol-related road traffic crashes and deaths in the future. Such implementation makes the "Drink-Driving Law" completely workable and fully enforceable.
In November 2021, Congress mandated that all cars must have an in-built advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology capable of detecting drunk drivers by the police. The mandate was included in the US$ 1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that was signed in 2021. Also, in the US, some states already incorporated in-car breath analyzers for people called "ignition interlock devices." These ignition interlock devices require drivers to blow an alcohol-free breath into a tube before the car will start. Despite this technology, Congress's mandate for "advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology" is a more advanced technology than breath analyzers that involve sensors collecting data about the driver's body and detecting whether the alcohol is consumed by the driver or not. Thus, government support and implementation of new advanced technologies to detect alcohol-impaired drivers resulting in controlling road traffic crashes boost the breath analyzers market growth.
Market Opportunity
Favorable and Supportive Regulations for Adoption of Breath Analyzers and Innovative Product Launches by Manufacturers
Market players launch innovative products such as "Contact-Free Breath Analyzer." In May 2023, Cannabix Technologies Inc., a manufacturer of breath testing devices, announced the development of contactless alcohol breathalyzer (CAB) technology in the workplace and in-cabin vehicles. The company ran a pilot testing of its workplace CAB in Montana-based Friedel LLC in March 2023. Since then, the device has been performing well, with over 300 breath samples taken till today. The company's CAB product has received strong interest from the US and Australia for the development and commercialization of a CAB product targeting small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The CAB product proves especially effective with pre-alcohol testing before and during work hours of an employee. Furthermore, the device can be utilized in bars, restaurants, hotels, and organizations.
Further, in June 2021, the Breath Alcohol Permit Program approved breath analysis instruments and full-fledged incorporated by the US Department of Transportation/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Thus, launches of innovative products and fast approvals by the regulatory/authorized bodies for the adoption of breath analyzers are expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the breath analyzers manufacturers in the long run.
The “Global Breath Analyzer Market” is segmented on the basis of technology, application, end user, and geography.
Based on technology, the market is segmented into fuel cell technology, semiconductor sensor, infrared spectroscopy, and others. In 2022, the fuel cell technology segment held the largest share of the market. Breath analyzers working on fuel cell technology consist of sensor devices comprising a platinum (Pt) anode compartment and a cathode to react with the ethanol and water in the breath sample during the breath test. To ensure accuracy, a precise sampling pump is utilized to draw the sample, specifically chosen to fit the fuel cell's specifications. The fuel cell sensor circuit produces an electric potential without any need for a power source during the oxidation reaction of ethanol in the sample. Fuel cell technology offers a perfect solution for portable screening devices due to its compact size and low power consumption. Law enforcement agencies commonly rely on electrochemical fuel cell technology for handheld screening devices, which provide highly accurate results. Although fuel cell breath analyzers may require a higher manufacturing cost, their reliability and precision make them a worthwhile investment. Overall, fuel cell technology presents an exciting opportunity for advancing screening capabilities and enhancing public safety. Therefore, the applications mentioned above drive the breath analyzers market growth for the fuel cell technology segment.
Application-Based Insights
Based on application, the global breath analyzer market is segmented as drug abuse detection, alcohol detection, and medical applications. The medical application segment held the largest market share in 2022 and is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during 2022–2030. In recent years, breath analysis has emerged as one of the most promising noninvasive diagnostic methods, attracting significant research interest. The method involves detecting gas analytes such as exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and inorganic gases, which are considered essential biomarkers for various diseases. Recent advancements in metabolomics have led to improved capabilities to explore human metabolic profiles in breath. Despite some challenges in sampling and analysis, exhaled breath is a desirable medium for metabolomics applications. It is convenient and practically limitless in availability. Currently, several breath-based tests are established and in practical and clinical use. In an article published by Biomedical Signal Processing and Control in September 2021, a study carried out using a breath analyzer for the assessment of patients’ breath print to diagnose chronic kidney disease resulted in 85.7% accuracy using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) coefficient as feature sets.
In April 2022, the US FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer that detects chemical compounds in breath samples to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection.
European Medicines Agency, Emergency Use Authorization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International Diabetes Federation, are some of the relevant sources referred while preparing the breath analyzers market research report.