| For parents trying to prove their innocence in child | | | | scalp of a person, a hair alcohol testing laboratory |
| custody battles, defendants needing a resource | | | | can find out what a person’s approximated |
| that shows they were not drinking at the time of | | | | consumption of alcohol has been up to a 30 day |
| an accident a month ago or employers looking to | | | | history and if the hair sample is longer, as much |
| hire sober employees, hair alcohol testing is the | | | | as a year of alcohol consumption can be tested. |
| new alcohol and drug screening technology that is | | | | A series of assessments called FAEE, fatty acid |
| proving the sobriety of parents, convicting the | | | | ethyl esters and EtG, or ethyl glucuronide EtG |
| guilty of high alcohol abuse during the moment of | | | | alcohol testing are done to measure the amount |
| a crime and giving confidence to employers to | | | | of FAEE and EtG markers that are revealed in |
| hire safe pilots, surgeons and child care workers. | | | | the tests only found in a person’s hair if |
| How is hair alcohol testing better than urine alcohol | | | | they have consumed alcohol. The more alcohol a |
| testing? | | | | person has consumed, the more markers will be |
| When urine alcohol testing use to be the only | | | | present on a test, which remain indefinitely. |
| proven technology to show whether a person has | | | | Only shaving one’s head will affect the |
| consumed alcohol, it limited the validity of the | | | | results of the test as there would not be any |
| results because alcohol evaporation rate is | | | | evidence which to test. Other body hair can be |
| extremely quick, not allowing testers to | | | | tested but the concentration of blood to the rest |
| accurately account for blood alcohol | | | | of the body’s hair does not give an |
| concentrations in urine alcohol testing. | | | | accurate test result. Only scalp hair reveals an |
| According to Alliance for Worldwide Alcohol | | | | accurate enough assessment. Bleach, hair dye or |
| Research and Education, 5-10% of ingested | | | | other external contaminants will not affect the |
| alcohol is excreted unchanged in urine, sweat, and | | | | outcome of the test. |
| expired air. The remainder is turned into carbon | | | | Hair alcohol testing is a fairly new discovery. Hair |
| dioxide and water. For example, a shot of 80 | | | | drug testing has been around for awhile, but until |
| proof alcohol, a 4 ounce glass of wine or 12 | | | | now, urine alcohol testing was the way to test a |
| ounces of beer will be completely cleared from | | | | person for alcohol consumption. Hair alcohol testing |
| the body in approximately 1.75-3.5 hours. | | | | reduces re-occurring random drug testing, hair |
| For that reason alone, urine alcohol testing | | | | alcohol testing is less invasive and by far proves |
| hasn’t been able to fully calculate a | | | | more than a weeks worth of abuse. |
| person’s accurate blood alcohol | | | | More and more employers and government |
| concentration. Now, hair alcohol testing is helping | | | | agencies are turning to hair alcohol testing for |
| to convict the guilty as well as the innocent. | | | | accurate, professional and tactful testing over |
| How Hair Alcohol Testing Works | | | | urine alcohol testing. |
| With only an inch and a half of hair cut from the | | | | |