Some say that if you have had too much to drink and you get pulled over for a Breathalyzer test, you should suck on a copper penny. The theory is that the copper in the penny will create a chemical reaction with the alcohol in your saliva that results in an inaccurate Breathalyzer reading. Ironically, even the idea of a copper penny is largely a myth since for decades pennies have been made of zinc. But even the slight amount of copper within the penny cannot cause a reaction with the alcohol in your saliva. A Breathalyzer measures your blood alcohol content by examining the alcohol level of the air from deep within your lungs. The amount of alcohol in the air down there is actually very close to the amount of alcohol in your blood.
A penny seems to be the most commonly cited magic bullet for beating a Breathalyzer, but sometimes you will hear recommendations to suck on nickels, cough drops, peanuts, curry powder, onions, mouthwash, or breath mints. The show MythBusters actually tested whether there were any things that you could put in your mouth or eat or suck on that would change your Breathalyzer test. They found that pennies, breath mints, and onions did nothing to decrease the blood alcohol reading from the Breathalyzer, and using mouthwash actually increased the alcohol reading for the Breathalyzer.
Back in the real world, one intoxicated man even thought that a mouthful of his own feces would stump the Breathalyzer; his blood alcohol level was actually found to be twice the legal limit. We think that most people would have to be even more drunk than that to lean over, poop in their own hand, and then stuff it in their mouth.
Another point to note is that the procedure for Breathalyzer tests is to do two of them, fifteen to twenty minutes apart. So any effects you miraculously got from what you had in your mouth the first time would need to be repeated for the second test too. Even if you somehow managed to beat the system once, it’s less likely that you would be able to do so again. Careful studies of many samples of breath alcohol samples show that they are incredibly accurate and correlate very well with blood alcohol levels—which are unaffected by what you put in your mouth. Even feces.
MYTH, HALF-TRUTH, OR OUTRIGHT LIE?
Citronella candles effectively repel
mosquitoes
You can accept the citronella claims as half-truths. Citronella is a natural mosquito repellant that does work to keep mosquitoes away. Citronella oils and lotions can keep mosquitoes away from you, but they do not work as well as DEET. The usual concentrations of DEET repellants that you can buy will protect you from mosquitoes for five hours, whereas the citronella products should work for one to two hours. What about citronella candles? One study tested how citronella candles stack up to regular candles or to no candles at all. Those within a few feet of the citronella candle had 42 percent fewer bites than those who were not near a candle at all. Those near regular candles had 23 percent fewer bites. Candles may protect you from mosquitoes to some extent, especially if you stay very close and use a citronella candle. But, the most effective way to protect you and your children from mosquitoes is still to use a repellant that contains DEET.
MYTH, HALF-TRUTH, OR OUTRIGHT LIE?
Mosquitoes that buzz by your ear don’t bite
As much as we hate mosquitoes, many of us do not know that much about them. There are a few facts about mosquitoes that make it very clear that buzzing and biting have nothing to do with each other. First of all, that annoying buzzing sound is produced by the flapping of the mosquito’s wings. All mosquitoes have wings, and so all of them buzz. If a mosquito is by your ear, you will hear it buzz. Second, only female mosquitoes bite humans. They actually need your blood to produce the eggs that lead to baby mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes do not bite you. Therefore, not all mosquitoes bite, but all mosquitoes do buzz. The two have nothing to do with each other. If you believe that the buzzing mosquito will not bite you, you believe an outright lie.