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malik222
Aug 24, 2010, 12:37 PM
I gave a urine sample but has not been tested for over 36 hrs, how long does the alcohol stay in the urine sample?

DrBill100
Aug 24, 2010, 04:11 PM
That depends on the container glass, plastic, whether properly sealed, preservative used, and method of storage.

The main problem with a delay in excess of 24 hrs is the risk of ethanol synthesis in the container. This can occur when urine is stored at room temperature as opposed to the recommended temperature of 4 C. Microbial fermentation of ethanol is always a danger with time and temperature being the most significant variables.

So if you are looking for the alcohol to evaporate, that won't happen. But there might be a lot more in your urine than when you provided the sample.

As further example, Chronolab (Switzerland) (http://www.diagnosticsample.com/urinalysis/home.php3?id=9) recommends the following:

"The analysis of a urine specimen should be carried out as soon as possible after urine sampling, due to rapid autolytic changes of the formed elements (cells, cylinders) and propagation of bacteria. Therefore, urine specimens should not be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours and other sources state no more than 30 minutes."