| Alcohol Marker
Information
|
| |
| WHO guidelines regarding alcohol
consumption |
| |
| Consumption Level
|
Men
|
Woman
|
| Excessive |
60g ethanol per
day (3/4 bottle of wine or 7.5 units |
40g ethanol per
day (1/2 bottle of wine or 5 units) |
| Occasional/Social |
<60g ethanol per day (3/4
bottle of wine or 7.5 units |
< 40g ethanol per day (1/2
bottle of wine or 5 units) |
| Abstinence |
No alcohol consumption |
No alcohol consumption |
|
| |
| For Illustration, excessive alcohol conumption
approximately: |
| |
- 562.5 ml of a bottle of wine for men, or 373ml of
a bottle of wine for women per day
- 7-8 shots of spirit for men, or 5 shots of a
spirit for women per day
- 4 cans of beer for men, or 3 cans of beer for
women per day
|
| |
| The Society of Hair Testing (Forensic Science
International, 2015, 249, A1-A2J) provides guidelines for
the interpretation of |
| hair testing for alcohol consumption. |
| |
| Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) & Ethyl
palmitate (EtPa) are minor metabolites (0.5%) of alcohol,
i.e., ethanoland is, therefore, a marker for ethanol
exposure. |
|
|
| Cut/Off Ranges and indications
|
| |
| |
Alcohol Abstinence
|
Repeated Consumption
|
Chronic Excessive
Consumption
|
| EtG: 0-3cm / 0-6cm |
Less than 5 pg/mg |
Between 5-29 pg/mg |
Greater than 30
pg/mg |
| EtPa: 0-3cm |
Less than 0.12 ng/mg |
Above 0.12 ng/mg |
Greater than 0.35 ng/mg |
| EtPa: 0-6cm |
Less than 0.15 ng/mg |
Above 0.15 ng/mg |
Greater than 0.45 ng/mg |
|
| |
| The concentration of Etg abnd EtPa in the
hair can be influenced by chemical and/or thermal hair
treatments (e.g. bleaching, dyeing, or perming, etc) and
generally decrease the concentrations. EtG concentrations
appear not to be influenced by hairspray, gel, wax,oil,
grease or ethanol-containing hair care products. The use
of ethanol-containing hair care products (e.g. hairspray
or hair lotions) may increase the concentration of EtPa. |
| |
| |
| Resources:
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| Updated 21/05/24 |
