New device could mean doctors can tell if you have cancer from analyzing your breath

We all dread the routine breath checks they have during the Christmas. Even if you’ve just had a cup of tea you’re likely to get a bit panicky and start wondering about whether or not Tuesday’s lunchtime drinks could still affect you a couple of days on.

The word breathalyser is enough to make anyone nervous, the same way you always feel like you’ve done something wrong when you’re passing a policeman on the street.

Well, breathalysers might not be all bad. Scientists have developed a device, which they claim can tell if someone has cancer, asthma, kidney problems or even diabetes.

The breathalyser works using lasers and mirrors. The mirrors bounce the laser’s light back and forth until it has touched every molecule a patient exhales in a single breath.

When people exhale we not only breathe out carbon dioxide and garlicy breath from lunch but also compounds that result from the metabolism of cells.

Researchers at the University of Colorado have identified over 1,000 different compounds contained in human breath.

Depending on the various different compounds of the patients breath the breathalyser could help doctors determine if a patient is ill or not. For example, people with asthma may produce too much nitric oxide.

Read the full story on the Daily Mail.