Alcohol Prescreening For Employees-What Used To Be Considered A Waste Of Money Is Now

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