| Previous articles, studies and other findings indicate | | | | as long as they do in the urine or hair |
| that alcohol testing for employees used to be | | | | • Provides a relatively short window of |
| considered a lot of company money wasted. The | | | | detection, approximately 10 to 24 hours. |
| reason being was that preceding types of alcohol | | | | • Is taken under supervision to deter |
| testing for employees could only test short term | | | | tampering |
| substance abuse and no matter how strong of an | | | | • Sample is less invasive then a urine sample |
| alcohol abuser an employee is, there were always | | | | Hair alcohol testing was developed by an English |
| ways for that person to be clean long enough for | | | | and German team of scientists who have found a |
| a urine or saliva sample, or contamination or | | | | way, through the discovery of using a unique |
| tampering or the sample taken was too weak for | | | | series of assessments called FAEE, fatty acid |
| the type of testing performed to accurately tell if | | | | ethyl esters and EtG, or ethyl glucuronide EtG |
| a person was currently abusing or was actually a | | | | alcohol testing to measure the amount of FAEE |
| chronic abuser. | | | | and EtG markers that are revealed in the tests |
| Recent new discoveries in alcohol testing have | | | | only found in a person’s hair if they have |
| suddenly changed how far employers can test | | | | consumed alcohol. |
| someone for alcohol abuse. Alcohol hair testing | | | | With this new discovery, these scientists found a |
| has opened a window of opportunity for | | | | way to test for long term alcohol abuse using a |
| prescreening employers that wasn’t | | | | hair sample which was never done before. Prior to |
| previously available. | | | | this, only drug abuse could be found in hair |
| Alcohol hair testing is a fairly new discovery. Hair | | | | samples, but never alcohol. |
| drug testing has been around for awhile, but until | | | | With only an inch and a half of hair cut from the |
| now, urine alcohol testing was the way to test a | | | | scalp of a person, a hair alcohol testing laboratory |
| person for alcohol consumption. Hair testing for | | | | can find out what a person’s approximated |
| drugs use to be the only type of hair testing that | | | | consumption of alcohol has been up to a 30 day |
| had been done, because alcohol testing for hair | | | | history and if the hair sample is longer, as much |
| wasn’t available. Types of alcohol | | | | as a year of alcohol consumption can be tested. |
| prescreening commonly used before alcohol hair | | | | The markers can be identified in days, weeks and |
| testing and often still used today are urine alcohol | | | | months. The more alcohol a person has |
| testing and saliva testing. Here is the pros and | | | | consumed, the more markers will be present on a |
| cons of each: | | | | test, which remain indefinitely. |
| Urine alcohol testing: | | | | Alcohol Hair Testing |
| • Inexpensive | | | | • Reduces re-occurring random drug testing, |
| • Provides ability to test for several different | | | | • Is much less invasive than either urine alcohol |
| types of substances | | | | testing or saliva testing |
| • The specimen can be adulterated, | | | | • By far proves more than a weeks worth of |
| substituted, or diluted | | | | abuse |
| • Has a small window of detection | | | | • Only shaving one’s head will affect the |
| • Urine can take up to 2 hours before alcohol | | | | results of the test as there would not be any |
| is present in the system | | | | evidence which to test |
| • With EtG testing, urine alcohol tests up to 80 | | | | The choice is much more cost effective, less |
| hours only | | | | intrusive and more accurate for employers. More |
| • Intrusive and rather embarrassing form of | | | | and more employers, social workers and |
| testing | | | | government agencies are turning to hair alcohol |
| Saliva testing: | | | | testing for precise, professional and tactful testing |
| • Doesn’t show metabolites in the saliva | | | | over urine alcohol testing. |