Is etg only testing for alcohol?

Answer 1

Until it is tested in the courts it is not an issue. Many experts, including government bodies that deal with alcohol and Alcoholism, believe that the test is too sensitive to be reliable in testing for beverage alcohol. When the issue is litigated, it will hopefully be banned for non-therapeutic purposes such as compliance testing.

In the meantime, the best way to deal with testing is to abstain from all alcohol and all things -- such as mouthwash -- that contain ethyl alcohol.

Here is what the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA

has to say about EtG:

Direct biomarkers of drinking have recently been

developed. They are termed "direct" because they are

analytes of alcohol metabolism. Although most alcohol that

is consumed is metabolized by oxidative processes in the

liver, a very small amount is broken down nonoxidatively,

thereby creating analytes that can be measured for a longer

period than when alcohol itself remains in the body and

could be measured in the breath, blood, or urine.

Among the more recently available direct biomarker

laboratory tests are tests for ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and

ethyl sulfate (EtS). Although present in all body fluids and

tissues, EtG and EtS are usually measured in urine. EtG and

EtS tests may become positive shortly after even low-level

exposure to alcohol and may remain detectable in urine for

several days. Because of the purported high sensitivity of

these tests, exposure to alcohol that is present in many daily

use products might also result in a positive laboratory test

for these biomarkers. EtG is becoming widely available in

the United States, and some laboratories have also begun

to test for EtS. At the current time, EtG and EtS testing

may have a supportive role in therapeutic interventions

in an environment where breath or blood alcohol tests are

used to monitor abstinence. However, until further research

has been conducted, the high sensitivity of the EtG and

EtS tests does not permit the distinction between alcohol

exposure and alcohol consumption at lower levels of

possible biomarker detection.

The Role of Biomarkers in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders,

Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory,

Volume 5, Issue 4