Hair Alcohol Testing
Overview
Alcohol has recently been classified as the fifth most harmful drug. For the first time ever, there is a non-invasive service to detect excessive consumption of alcohol over a period of time. Unlike traditional methods, alcohol testing in hair can establish dependency for periods of up to a year. As the first company to offer this test commercially, Trimega Laboratories, together with its team of researchers and scientists, has developed a system that clearly indicates or rules out alcohol abuse.
For the complete picture of alcohol abuse
Select the Trimega FAEE Alcohol Test for longer windows of detection.
| Hair alcohol testing vs. Traditional methods | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hair Alcohol Testing | Traditional Methods | |
| Window of detection | Up to 12 months | < 4 weeks |
| Regularity | One-off testing | Regular testing (costly) |
| Results | False positives are eliminated | Risk of false positives |
| Re-testing | Possible | Not possible due to short window of detection |
| Collection | Non-invasive | Invasive |
| Samples and storage | Tamper proof | Risk of tampering |
Not all methods of hair alcohol testing are the same!
Trimega Laboratories are becoming widely recognised as synonymous with Hair Alcohol Testing in the UK legal sector based on the FAEEs (fatty acid ethyl esthers) testing procedure. Other providers recommend Etg (ethyl glucuronide) hair alcohol testing on its own which is limited. This is because Trimega currently have a patent pending which restrict others from using this technology.
FAEEs, measured in nanogram quantities (1 ng = one billionth of a gram) appear in hair in almost one order of magnitude higher than the relevant order of magnitude of Etg, measured in picogram quantities (1 picogram = one trillionth of a gram). It has been technically possible to measure FAEEs since 1993, whereas the technique for measuring the relevant range of Etg is still in its infancy.
In practice, it is likely that some hair which is sent for analysis has been cosmetically treated in some way (bleached or permed etc.). It has been proven that FAEEs are not significantly affected by such treatments. So far no systematic investigations in this regard have been carried out for Etg.
FAEE concentrations in hair from other body sites can be interpretated in a similar fashion as scalp hair. For Etg there is currently no information available.
The process: How alcohol is detected
As the hair grows, it absorbs special markers called fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) into its structure, which remain in the hair indefinitely. These patented markers are only produced when there is alcohol in the bloodstream, and the more markers there are, the more alcohol has been consumed.
What makes this analysis revolutionary is that it gives a history going back months or even years if required. No other method can do this. For example, testing for EtG alone only provides results covering a period no longer than one month. Once history of alcohol abuse is established using Trimega's latest technique, an alcoholic’s treatment can then be monitored periodically.
Who can use this service?
Legal Sector
Hair alcohol tests have been regularly used by the UK legal sector for legal disputes and child care proceeding cases. Prove that a client is fit to have custody of their children. The admissibility of the tests is dependent upon strict sample collection protocols administered by Trimega Laboratories' trained nurses and sample collectors.
Corporate Sector
The need to use hair alcohol testing within the corporate sector (maritime, insurance, medical and rail sectors) has increased since its introduction by Trimega Laboratories. Increasingly, corporates believe there is a need to regulate their own industry by monitoring employees and ensuring that professionalism within their industry is maintained.
Forensics
For forensic use, forensic investigators may use this test to determine whether a driver in a road accident was in the habit of overindulging in alcohol. Trimega Laboratories provide expert witnesses if required.
Why Trimega?
- Cost effective: Competitive pricing policy
- Meeting deadlines: Results available within 7-10 business days from receipt of sample
- Simple fast instruction process
- Hassle-free service: Fully co-ordinated sample collection service
- FREE sample collection materials
- Split-invoicing if requested
- Certified to ISO 9001: 2000 UK quality management systems in accordance with UKAS standards