Addiction Alcohol Use EtG Test for Confirming Alcohol Abstinence By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial process Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on October 09, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on April 01, 2021 Print Peter Dazeley Collection/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Why It's Used Detection Time Frame Test Accuracy Interpreting Results The ethyl glucuronide (EtG) test is widely used to detect the presence in the urine of ethyl glucuronide, a breakdown product of ethanol, the intoxicating agent in alcohol. It can also screen for EtG in your blood, hair, and nails, but the urine test is the most widely used. The main purpose of an EtG test is to document alcohol abstinence. Why EtG Is Used The test for EtG is widely used to detect alcohol abstinence in situations that do not allow drinking. These may include: Alcohol treatment programs Court cases (for example, child custody) DUI or DWI program Liver transplant patients Probation programs Professional monitoring programs (for example, airline pilots, healthcare professionals, attorneys) Schools or the military It's important to note that the EtG test is not recommended for use in workplace testing programs as it does not measure current impairment from alcohol. Detection Time Frame The EtG test is quite sensitive and can detect even low levels of alcohol. In fact, the test can detect alcohol in the urine up to five days after consumption. In studies of participants without alcohol-use disorders, EtG has been detected in urine samples for up to 80 hours (3.3 days) after heavy alcohol exposure. Length of Time Alcohol Stays in Your System Test Accuracy There are some limitations to this test. It can produce a positive test from the mere exposure to alcohol that's present in many daily use products. Examples of environmental or home products that contain alcohol include: Aftershave Breath sprays Cleaning products Cosmetics Foods prepared with or flavored with alcohol Hair dye Hand sanitizers Hygiene products like antiperspirant Mouthwashes The reality is that there are hundreds of household products that contain ethanol, according to the National Library of Health's Household Products Database, and exposure to them could possibly lead to a false positive on the EtG test. But the EtG test accurately detects a person who recently consumed alcohol 70 percent or more of the time. One study showed that for moderate to heavy drinking, this number jumps to 85 percent. SAMHSA lists EtG as a test that can help both rule in or rule out whether someone has been drinking with high accuracy. Interpreting Results The following cutoff values have been proposed for test results. High Positive A "high" positive EtG test (for example, >1,000ng/mL) may indicate: Heavy drinking on the same day or the previous day Light drinking on the same day as the test Low Positive A "low" positive EtG test (for example, 500 to 1,000ng/mL) may indicate: Heavy drinking within the last one to three days Light drinking within the last 24 hours Recent intense exposure to environmental products containing alcohol (within the last 24 hours) Very Low Positive "Very low" positive EtG test (for example, 100 to 500 ng/mL) may indicate: Heavy drinking within the last one to three days Light drinking within the last 12 to 36 hours Recent exposure to environmental products containing alcohol A Word From Verywell All in all, the EtG test is considered a highly useful test for detecting recent alcohol consumption. But like any test, there is the possibility for a false positive. This is why a positive test should be confirmed either with another test or with verification from the person that he or she did indeed drink alcohol. Hopefully, as the research on EtG and other alcohol use indicators unfold, there will be increasingly accurate ways to distinguish between true alcohol use and exposure to alcohol in environmental products. How a CDT Test Detects Dangerous Alcohol Consumption Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dahl H, Voltaire carlsson A, Hillgren K, Helander A. Urinary ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate testing for detection of recent drinking in an outpatient treatment program for alcohol and drug dependence. Alcohol Alcohol. 2011;46(3):278-82. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agr009 Staufer K, Yegles M. Biomarkers for detection of alcohol consumption in liver transplantation. World J Gastroenterol. 2016;22(14):3725-34. doi:10.3748/wjg.v22.i14.3725 McDonell MG, Skalisky J, Leickly E, et al. Using ethyl glucuronide in urine to detect light and heavy drinking in alcohol dependent outpatients. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015;157:184-187. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.10.004 Grodin EN, Nguyen X-T, Ho D, Bujarski S, Ray LA. Sensitivity and specificity of a commercial urinary ethyl glucuronide (Etg) test in heavy drinkers. Addictive Behaviors Reports. 2020;11:100249. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100249 Berger L, Fendrich M, Jones J, Fuhrmann D, Plate C, Lewis D. Ethyl glucuronide in hair and fingernails as a long-term alcohol biomarker. Addiction. 2014;109(3):425-31. doi:10.1111/add.12402 Shukla L, Sharma P, Ganesha S, et al. Value of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in serum as biomarkers of alcohol consumption. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. 2017;39(4):481-487. ETG and ETS: Ethanol Biomarkers. FSS Solutions. 2018. Additional Reading Jastrzębska I, Zwolak A, Szczyrek M, Wawryniuk A, Skrzydło-Radomańska B, Daniluk J. Biomarkers of alcohol misuse: recent advances and future prospects. Przegla̜d Gastroenterologiczny. 2016;11(2):78-89. Jatlow P, O’Malley SS. Clinical (nonforensic) application of ethyl glucuronide measurement: Are we ready? Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. 2010;34(6):968-975. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Role of Biomarkers in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders, 2012 Revision. Spring 2012;11(2). 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