Lindsay Lohan is wearing a high-tech piece of jewelry – an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet. The bracelets are only sold to the courts, probation officers and others who want to make sure drunken drivers or anyone involved in alcohol-related offenses do not drink again.
Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc., is a Denver company that manufactures the bracelet. One of the bracelets was put on Lohan’s ankle on a judge’s orders this week. The judge was angry because Lohan did not appear for a Beverly Hills court hearing last week. Instead, the actress attended the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The bracelet uses the same technology as a breathalyzer, but instead of checking the breath for alcohol, it samples the perspiration on the skin. After alcohol is consumed, it enters the bloodstream and a small amount of alcohol is excreted through the skin. The bracelet tests the skin every half hour. If there is alcohol, it causes a chemical reaction in the bracelet’s fuel cell. Once a day, the information is sent over phone lines to the company, which alerts the courts or probation offer if alcohol is detected at a blood alcohol level of 0.02 or higher.
The bracelets – called SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring) have been available since 2003 and are in use in every state except Hawaii. They have, to date, been worn by 136,000 people, for an average of 90 days. Each bracelet costs about 1500 dollars.
