EtG Urine Testing for Alcohol Use

What is EtG testing?

• EtG testing is a reliable and accurate method of verifying abstinence from alcohol use and of detecting alcoholic beverage   consumption. EtG testing reveals alcohol use up to three-and-a-half days from the time of the urine collection

How accurate is EtG testing?

• EtG testing is not subject to adulteration, fermentation, or cross-reactivity; it is simple, precise and reliable. EtG testing reveals   alcohol exposure from the prior approximately 80-hours; the actual “window of detection” will, of course, vary from person to   person, related to dose, individual metabolism, and test sensitivity.

• There are over forty peer-reviewed articles on EtG, published in major international scientific journals. Compared to other   alcohol testing systems that claim continuous monitoring, EtG testing has by far the most scientific validity.

• Because alcohol is ubiquitous in the environment, inadvertent alcohol exposure, typically related to frequent use of high-
  alcohol content cleaning products, has been known to create innocent positives. Such cases are rare, but must be
  considered when reviewing a positive EtG test result. As in all substance abuse testing, professional assessment of positive
  test results is always appropriate.

How is EtG testing used?

• EtG testing is used to monitor impaired health professionals throughout the United States.  Doctors, dentists, nurses,   pharmacists and other health care professionals all benefit from the routine verification of abstinence provided by EtG tests.

• It is used increasingly by treatment agencies, courts and community corrections programs.

What about the time-line for reporting results?

• We know quick results are essential, so we have arranged Two to Three Day result reporting. If you send in a sample on   Monday, we will receive it on Tuesday (depending on how you send it to us) and report your results on Thursday or Friday.

What about the different levels of EtG testing?

Three different test levels are commonly available:

• 100 ng/ml LC/MS/MS testing – This level of sensitivity is most commonly used to monitor individuals for professional or   clinical reasons, such as impaired health professionals. It is often used by criminal justice agencies. Testing at this level will   occasionally (about 1 positive in 500) pick up incidental exposure.

• 250 ng/ml LC/MS/MS testing – This level of testing will detect about 97% of episodes of alcohol use as compared to 100   ng/ml testing. This level has a high enough cut-off to avoid most incidental exposure.

• 500 ng/ml LC/MS/MS testing – This level of testing will detect about 90% of episodes of alcohol use as compared to 100   ng/ml testing. This level is used increasingly, especially for routine clinical and forensic applications as most innocent   positives occur below the 500 ng/ml level.

• 500 ng/ml immunoassay testing – This type of testing is offered at the same level as 500 ng/ml LC/MS/MS testing, using a   less expensive methodology.

What about confirmation?

• 100 ng/ml, 250 ng/ml and 500 ng/ml LC/MS/MS positives are automatically confirmed at no additional charge. The   simultaneous detection of both EtG and EtS, another alcohol marker, allows for immediate confirmation, saving time and   getting the report to the requesting agency quickly.

• All immunoassay positives 500 ng/ml positives are confirmed with GC/MS testing at an additional fee. LC/MS/MS confirmation   for such samples is available on request, at an additional fee.

What is the significance of the EtG level reported in a positive result?

• As with all drug test results, it is best to think of EtG results as simply Negative or Positive. The level of EtG reported, which   might, for example, be as low as 600, or as high as 100,000 does not necessarily reflect greater or lesser drinking.  Many   factors can affect the level of EtG detected in an individual’s urine sample, so avoid making undue assumptions based on EtG   detection levels reports.

How can I get help in evaluating a test results?

• Please feel free to consult us when in doubt as to how to interpret a particular test result. We provide a full range of No Charge   consulting services to assist our agency customers, including suggested interview strategies, alternative testing methods,   and other specialized evaluation protocols.

• We can also suggest qualified Medical Review Officers, who are prepared to offer a professional medical opinion regarding   an apparently positive EtG test result.

What other assistance do you provide?

• We provide a complete testing-assistance program, to make sure our customers get the most up-to-date test service.
  This consists of:

     • Training
     • Test interpretation
     • Monitoring test results and detecting and reporting problematic patterns
     • Recommending the most fruitful testing strategies
     • Keeping customers full informed of the most currently professional developments in EtG testing, including
       recommendations from CSAT and NIAAA, as well as professional organizations, such as ASAM.

What is the turn-around time on tests?

• For our 100 ng/ml, 250 ng/ml and 500 ng/ml LC/MS/MS tests, the sample is tested the day after receipt at our lab and reported   within two to three days.
• 500 ng/ml immunoassay tests are reported out ~ three days after receipt at the laboratory.
• The labs run tests Monday through Friday.

What about shipping?

• We provide a number of different methods for shipping samples to our labs, including UPS Ground, UPS 2nd Day, UPS
  Next Day, and US Mail. FedEx and DHL may also be used to transport samples to our labs. The most economical and   effective method of getting your sample to our lab will depend on your location. In many cases, that means simply dropping   your sample in the US Mail. In other cases you may choose various UPS options. We can work with you to determine the most
  economical shipping method.