Alcohol abuse is a serious public health and public safety issue worldwide and is the most prevalent chemical addiction. Objective identification of excessive ethanol consumption is important for intervention and monitoring.
Hair Ethyl Glucuronide: Uses and Implications BY JOSEPH T. JONES, M.S., NRCC-TC, UNITED STATES DRUG TESTING LABORATORIES
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thyl glucuronide (EtG) is a trace metabolite of ethanol and is con- sidered a direct alcohol biomark-
er. The term direct alcohol biomarker is used because the ethanol itself is incor- porated into the detected compound as opposed to an indirect alcohol biomarker such as Carbohydrate-deficient transfer- rin (CDT), Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), which measure the damage of chronic excessive drinking. EtG detection in urine has been used for the past decade as a tool for detecting recent alcohol consumption. The use of EtG detection in hair as a long-term alcohol biomarker is proving to be another very important tool for the healthcare and legal profes- sional to utilize for the identification of individuals engaged in risky alcohol drinking behavior.
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EtG and its incorporation into hair EtG has been reported in a number of
bodily fluids and tissues such as urine, blood, sweat, newborn’s meconium, umbilical cord tissue, hair, and fingernail. EtG is slightly acidic and this physical property is respon- sible for two observations for the concentra- tions of EtG in hair (Skopp, 2000): 1. EtG is retained in hair fibers at very low concentrations, similar to the marijuana metabolite, carboxy-THC (which is also acidic).
2. Hair color does not influence the observed concentrations of EtG in hair as has been observed for alkaline compounds, like methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.
Alkaline compounds are atracted to and
bind tightly to the pigments in the hair and these alkaline compounds are known to
accumulate into darkly pigmented hair at higher levels than less pigmented hair.
Uses for EtG in hair Much of the early EtG hair work was
performed in Europe and the first reported use for the detection of EtG in hair was for post-mortem cases (Skopp et al, 2000). Studies in Germany demonstrated that EtG could be found in varying concentrations in the hair of known alcohol dependent subjects (Skopp et al, 2000; Janda et al, 2002) and they were able to distinguish between alcohol dependent subjects and non-drinkers (children and teetotalers). Additionally, Janda et al (2002) reported that EtG in hair was an effective marker for monitoring patients under treatment for alcohol dependence. In 2004, Soriano Ju- rado reported the use of EtG in hair in the Spanish family courts to identify individu-
spring 2013
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