Originally Posted by
celtic250
Just curious as to what the average time it takes for etg to get out of your body is? I have heard many different time lengths and am just curious as to what the concensus is. Thanks
There is really no answer to your question. Averaging the various studies isn't possible because of the methods employed in each. Most of the information you read is based on one study, the one most favorable to the author. So the commercial testing field has used the
80 hour test. That time span applies in only the most extreme cases. It is not an average.
EtG production and elimination is highly variable between individuals and even within the same individual from time to time. The window for detection is also dependent on the amount of alcohol consumed. It is dose dependent. EtG created from one drink is eliminated faster than 10 drinks, a small amount faster than a larger amount. This follows the standard elimination curve of ethanol (EtOH) metabolism but at a slower rate. EtG is the waste product of the metabolism and proportional to systemic EtOH.
Here a few studies dealing with detection time using measured doses:
9 drinks (Borucki, 2005) 100% positive at 24 hrs, 77% at 54 hrs, 18% at 78 hr.
3-5 drinks (
Sensitivity of commercial ethyl glucuronide (ETG) testing in screening for alcohol abstinence ? Alcohol Alcohol) none detectable past 48 hr
To provide you with an overall concept of elimination time in a small sample (see
P. 597, Figure 5, Rosano & Lin, 2008) This is a time scale graph.
The research data on EtG is very limited. There have been no large scale studies and there is much more to be learned.
A good resource for additional information on EtG and EtS is
Dr. Greg Skipper website. He introduced the test to the US and does a reasonably good job of providing current information.