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"   ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 A portable breath-testing device on display here at the DARPATech 2007 conference can supposedly detect a wide range of diseases, including breast cancer, by analyzing your breath. The air in your lungs contains over 3000 volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), with a fraction of those chemical byproducts correlating to diseases in the body. The Breath Collecting Apparatus 5.0 (BCA) samples your breath over the course of two minutes, and analyzes it on-site for specific VOCs.  According to the device&amp;#039;s maker, Menssana Research, the BCA has been able to detect breast cancer with the same accuracy as a mammogram. And initial findings have shown that the BCA detects pulmonary tuberculosis. As a cheap, rapid alternative to modern-day sputum testing, the device could have a huge impact in TB-ravaged developing countries. The BCA can also supposedly detect lung cancer, certain kind of heart disease and diabetes. And it&amp;#039;s been approved by the FDA for clinical use in detecting heart transplant rejection. All of which sounds suspiciously miraculous, but with funding from both DARPA and the U.S. National Institute of Health, the BCA will continue to be tested at universities and hospitals in the U.S. and abroad.  This isn&amp;#039;t the first we&amp;#039;ve heard of breath diagnostics or even the BCA, but considering how many studies and how much evaluation it has under its belt, this potentially life-changing device is on the verge of widespread approval. It&amp;#039;s not only cheaper than many equivalent diagnostics, but its far less daunting, which could mean significantly earlier detection (and a higher survival rate for many diseases). Not that it will prove anything, but I&amp;#039;m going to provide some samples later today, as well as figure out why it&amp;#039;s being billed\u2014and funded\u2014as a counter-terrorism tool. \u2014 Erik Sofge  &amp;quot;Breath Tests for Counter Terrorism and Detection of Disease&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a2010/4220196/>