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View Full Version : If the lab testing my sample has a .01 g/dl cut off for alcohol, what does that mean?


JD5000
Dec 22, 2014, 06:53 PM
This seems to translate to a 100,000 ng/ml cut off, which seems really high! This is through the Wyoming Department of Health (http://www.health.wyo.gov/phsd/lab/drug.html#Drug%20Analysis). Does this mean I should really never worry if I have a couple beers and get called in to testing the next day, or am I reading this completely wrong?

For the record, I'm not looking for 'justification' or someone to tell me that the easiest way to pass is to abstain. If I want justification, I'll do that myself, and I'm fully aware that abstinence is my 100% sure way to pass. I've generally been very good for the last six months, but I am aware of my imperfection and ability to make mistakes. I would like to make sure that I understand the math and science behind these random urine tests I'm supposed to get called in for. I don't want to ask my probation officer or the place that does the UA for obvious reasons.

Please reference the link I provided before answering, it's possible that I'm misunderstanding what the numbers mean. According to what I've read, 9 hours after having three drinks one would have an EtG level of 15,000 ng/ml, which is far below what it seems like the cutoff is for this lab.

Thank you in advance for your non-judgmental responses.

Grady White
Dec 22, 2014, 07:51 PM
That's actually quite low. It equates to 0.01%. The legal limit for driving in most states is 0.05 - 0.08%. 0.01% is probably near the lower end of detectability.

JD5000
Dec 22, 2014, 08:04 PM
That's actually quite low. It equates to 0.01%. The legal limit for driving in most states is 0.05 - 0.08%. 0.01% is probably near the lower end of detectability.

I don't think it's a BAC scale, I think it's an EtG scale. Urine sample, not breathalyzer.