|  Reliable
Testing for Abusive Alcohol Consumption
There are many reasons to test an individual for alcohol abuse,
such as for family court matters or hiring decisions. For
safe, reliable testing with results they can count on, law
enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, and employers
turn to the AbuseCheck™ Hair Alcohol Abuse Test.
The AbuseCheck™ Hair Alcohol Abuse Test is a non-invasive
testing procedure which provides a definitive timeline
of alcohol abuse from one to six months depending
on the test administered, to identify individuals with recent
histories of alcohol abuse. While blood tests are used when
a person is intoxicated, the Hair Alcohol Abuse Test has a
longer detection window than urine, blood or saliva,
and yields accurate usage history needed to prove
alcohol abuse and/or dependency. This follows what
is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 'average
levels of alcohol consumption in excess of 60 grams of alcohol
per day' - which is the level at which is believed to
result in a high probability of suffering from related medical
problems if sustained over a significant period of time.
The AbuseCheck Hair Alcohol Abuse Test is convenient because
hair samples are easily acquired; and since hair cannot be
adulterated, the test delivers accurate results that determine
whether or not the subject is an abusive alcohol drinker.
All work is done by an accredited laboratory that processes
1000s of Hair Alcohol Abuse Tests tests each year, and growing!
Results are available within two weeks.
Who Should Use AbuseCheck™?
This forensic test is used by a variety of individuals, professionals,
corporations and agencies to get definitive answers about
alcohol abuse among clients, defendants, relatives, victims,
and employees who may have been touched by alcohol abuse.
- Attorneys, law enforcement agencies –
use in custody cases to determine if a parent is fit to
have custody, test repeat offenders of DUI, spousal abuse,
post-accident testing of the person at fault if BAC was
not established quickly enough, such as in a hit-n-run case.
- Human resources – find out if current
employees or potential new hires are abusing alcohol to
determine fitness to work (especially with vehicles and
heavy machinery or public safety jobs) or to investigate
a decline in job performance. Can also be used by staffing
agencies that screen potential hires for substance abuse.
- Healthcare professionals, healthcare facilities
– identify people with alcohol addiction or prove
a patient does not have a dependency problem, measure efficacy
of an alcohol treatment program, detect recidivism among
alcoholic population, screen organ donors.
- Forensics – detection of ethanol
in a post-mortem toxicology report may provide insight into
the individual’s history of alcohol consumption which
may be relevant to a case or cause of death; provide evidence
of alcohol abuse as a probable cause of wrongdoing or foul
play.
- Parents and other relatives – test
your teenagers or other family members to be certain they
are not abusing alcohol, detect potential abuse problems
early in development in order to institute corrective treatment.
- Public Sector: Many public organizations
and sectors examining the physiological and behavioral effects
of alcohol can utilize this test to aid in their research
(i.e. studies between the correlation of alcohol habits
and risk of vehicular accidents).
How AbuseCheck™ Works
Two key factors make AbuseCheck™ highly accurate.
One is that alcohol (from beer, wine, hard liquor or other
sources) does not appear in the body in any other form (i.e.
gas) that would cause ambiguities or false positive results.
The other is that, unlike drugs which are deposited directly
in the hair, these alcoholic substances break down into the
ethanol byproducts. The AbuseCheck™ Hair Alcohol Abuse
Test is unique in that the procedure looks for these direct
byproducts of ethanol metabolism, and not just ethanol itself.
Thus, the presence of other forms of alcohol such as isopropanol
(rubbing alcohol) or ethylene glycol (antifreeze) do not have
an influence in the results. However, recent studies have
shown elevated levels of FAEE in hair could be the result
from hair treatment products containing alcohol (see: Forensic
Science International, 2011). For this reason, it is suggested
that both EtG and FAEE be used to test for signs of alcohol
abuse.
To that end, AbuseCheck™ conducts two distinct types
of hair alcohol tests called FAEE and EtG hair testing, which
test for different types of markers and report on alcohol
abuse over different periods of time. The most common
use for these products is in child custody cases, where one
or both parents are being accused of regularly consuming excessive
amounts of alcohol. Both the FAEE and EtG Hair Alcohol
Abuse Test are well established and proven science
which leads to an accurate result for proving whether
a person has been drinking alcohol excessively.
AbuseCheck Test #1: FAEE (Fatty
Acid Ethyl Esters)
FAEE stands for fatty acid ethyl esters, a direct and very
specific metabolite of alcohol, produced in the body when
alcohol is consumed and digested. This metabolite provides
a greatly specific indicator of excessive alcohol consumption
over a period of time of up to six months. Studies have showed
that FAEE markers are relatively stable in hair, and that
the effect of hair care and hair cosmetics on FAEE concentrations
does not significantly decrease concentrations. However, recent
studies have shown elevated levels of FAEE in hair could be
the result from hair treatment products containing alcohol
(see: Forensic
Science International, 2011). This is because the cells
around the hair are capable of metabolizing alcohol and leading
to an FAEE byproduct. As a result, this FAEE marker is sensitive
to false-positive results, therefore testing in tandem with
the EtG delivers a more accurate report on alcohol abuse.
FAEEs and Hair: When alcohol is consumed,
the main part of it is oxidized in the human body, and released
as water and carbon dioxide. However, one part of the alcohol
reacts with fatty acids to produce molecules called esters,
or fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs). The sum of the concentrations
of four of these—ethyl myristate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl
oleate and ethyl stearate—are used as indicators of
the alcohol consumption. Basically, the more FAEEs are present
on the hair, the more alcohol has been consumed.
FAEEs get into the hair primarily by diffusion from sebum,
the oily substance that helps prevent hair and skin from drying
out. They are absorbed into the hair, as the hair grows, from
the sebum on the scalp or skin. Thanks to the benefits of
modern technology and mass spectroscopy, the AbuseCheck™
hair alcohol test is able to detect and measure these amounts
in nanograms (one one billionth of a gram). The hair sample
may be taken from other areas of the body if it is not possible
to take it from the scalp.
AbuseCheck Test #2: EtG (Ethyl
Glucuronide)
Ethyl glucuronide, or EtG, is another metabolite of alcohol;
its markers are formed almost exclusively in the liver and
then deposited into hair mainly from sweat. As with FAEE,
the more markers there are, the more alcohol has been consumed.
The EtG hair alcohol abuse test provides a good indicator
of excessive alcohol consumption over a zero to three-month
period of time.
The EtG test should be performed on the most recent hair
growth from the scalp or body hair (excluding pubic hair),
corresponding to the last three months. It is also recommended
that the EtG test always be combined with the FAEE test. Studies
have found that frequent shampooing of a donor’s hair
slowly removes the ethyl glucuronide marker that has been
deposited onto the hair. Bleaching the hair also leads to
an increased concern for 'wash-out' effect. As a result, this
EtG marker is sensitive to false-negative results, therefore
testing in tandem with the FAEE delivers a more accurate report
on alcohol abuse.
Three (3) Levels of Tests Deliver Flexibility in
Detection and Application
AbuseCheck™ offers three distinct levels of its hair
alcohol abuse tests for a broad range of users and applications,
from legal cases to forensic investigations, from medical
facilities to private homes. These tests are tamper proof,
samples cannot be contaminated, and administration requires
no expertise on the part of the person or facility. Simply
collect hair samples at the required lengths and send them
to our laboratory in the packaging we provide for analysis.
Choose from AbuseCheck’s™ Bronze
(EtG alone), Silver (FAEE alone), or Gold (FAEE and EtG combined)
services; which provide results for different
time periods (one months or six months). Each package tests
a single participant and includes all collections materials,
specimen collection, laboratory service, a comprehensive lab
report, and shipping.
Bronze Level: AbuseCheck™
EtG Hair Alcohol Test
This test measures levels of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) for evidence
of excessive alcohol consumption with a detection window of
three months. Hair samples are taken from the scalp, from
as close to the root as possible to capture new growth which
will be carrying the EtG markers. Although this test delivers
excellent results, it is recommended that it be done in conjunction
with the FAEE test to avoid the risk of false negatives due
to “wash out” and the concomitant decline in EtG
markers that can occur due to hair care. The Bronze level
of testing is preferred when price is an issue and “wash
out” is not a concern.
Silver Level: AbuseCheck™
FAEE Hair Alcohol Test
This test measures levels of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE)
with a detection window of up to six months back starting
from two week after the time of collection. This highly accurate
test is not subject to 'wash-out' effects from environmental
conditions such as hair care or hair treatments, and hair
samples may be taken from the scalp or elsewhere on the body
if necessary. Longer hair samples are taken for this test.
False negatives are eliminated thanks to the accuracy of the
FAEE test. However, recent studies have shown elevated levels
of FAEE in hair could be the result from hair treatment products
containing alcohol (see: Forensic
Science International, 2011). This is because the cells
around the hair are capable of metabolizing alcohol and leading
to an FAEE byproduct. As a result, this FAEE marker is sensitive
to false-positive results, therefore testing in tandem with
the EtG delivers a more accurate report on alcohol abuse.
Gold Level: AbuseCheck™
Hair Alcohol Test Combo (FAEE & EtG)
Taken together, these two Hair Alcohol Tests deliver the most
value and superior results. With various hair lengths and
testing for all relevant markers related to the breakdown
of alcohol (from beer, wine, hard liquor, etc.) in the bloodstream,
the Gold package shows irrefutable proof of alcohol abuse
and/or dependency within a six-month detection window. It
is the most trusted test among the legal profession for its
accuracy and reliability against any external environmental
influences.
Order online, email, or call the BioPharma Institute today
for more information or to order your Bronze, Silver, or Gold
hair alcohol abuse testing package. You will have results
within two weeks of our receiving your samples.
Additional Information
& Forms:
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