Has anyone ever failed an ETG test after 80 hours? It says it can go back 80 hours 3-5 days, so let me rephrase this, has anyone failed an ETG test with more than 80 hours since there last drink?

Most assuredly. Not because of alcohol consumption but due to "incidental exposure" to alcohol odors. Hand cleaners, deodorants, mouthwash, skin cleansers, shampoo, lotions, paints, are all frequent sources of incidental exposure triggering the positive interpreted as consumption.

However, as relates to alcohol consumption, the "80 hour test" claim is a promotional slogan. Not a reality. One drink (1.5oz) is detectable for from 20-30 hours dependent on the test threshold. As example if the detection level is set at 100 ng/ml the detection limit would be 25 hrs, with no cut off point it would be 30 hours, at 500 it would be 20hours.

A study involving detoxification of chronic drinkers, all with BACs ranging from .10-.32 the average was 66 hours.

An October 2009 study lists the “Urinary detection times for EtG and EtS after different doses of alcohol” - Go to p. 59 of the study for this information at the link below. NOTE: Alcohol dose is based on Grams per Kilogram of body weight (g/kg) not BAC level. Of further note is the small number of test subjects in each study (see N in the Table) and the variance in the results.

If you require clarification please post and I will get back to you.

Detection Times for Urinary Ethyl Glucuronide and Ethyl Sulfate in Heavy Drinkers during Alcohol Detoxification -- Helander et al. 44 (1): 55 -- Alcohol and Alcoholism

SWIM made the mistake of drinking on a late Tuesday night, and got the EtG test the following Monday. After doing a lot of research he freaked himself out because of the incdental exposure. He prays that he passes, but if he does fail he believes that it is due to incidental exposure and not the alcohol that was drank 130 in the past. So my question, does he have anything to worry about? And if it fails what would the next course be? He currently is taking benedry and after doing research of ethanol products, realized it was in his deoderant, shampoo, mouth wash, bread...

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Originally Posted by bambam06

SWIM made the mistake of drinking on a late tuesday night, and got the etg test the following monday. After doing a lot of research he freaked himself out because of the incdental exposure.......So my question, does he have anything to worry about? and if it fails what would the next course be? He currently is taking benedry and after doing research of ethanol products, realized it was in his deoderant, shampoo, mouth wash, bread....

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As relates to the detection window for the alcohol consumed: There should be no EtG remaining.

As to incidental exposure: Anyone submitting to an EtG urinalysis should worry. Alcohol is ubiquitous in our environment and there is no research relating to cumulative exposure. Most research has focused on hand cleanser/sanitizers. It is believed that the majority of the detectable alcohol derives from inhalation rather than transdermal absorption. Of course any product containing alcohol (including food) ingested orally will definitely produce EtG.

EtG testing is unregulated. There is no agreement amongst testing laboratories or within the medical community as to a uniform cut-off level to prevent false positives. Yet, it is promoted as a scientific tool for detecting alcohol consumption. It fails to such end, providing inconsistent and unreliable results. It detects the metabolites of alcohol with astounding precision but cannot distinguish between incidental exposure or voluntary usage.

Numerous agencies have issued advisories in relation to EtG testing. (NIH;SAMHSA 2006, National Assoc. of Drug Court Professionals 2006, Greg Skipper, MD, 2005, [he introduced the system to the US]) The current view is as follows:

"Currently, the use of an EtG test in determining abstinence lacks sufficient proven specificity for use as primary or sole evidence that an individual prohibited from drinking, in a criminal justice or a regulatory compliance context, has truly been drinking. Legal or disciplinary action based solely on a positive EtG, or other test discussed in this Advisory, is inappropriate and scientifically unsupportable at this time. These tests should currently be considered as potential valuable clinical tools, but their use in forensic settings is premature." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The problems are well known. Scientific criticisms abound. They continue to be ignored and use of the test is increasing.

I ate some food (cooked) on Sat (lil smokie cooked in sauce with Jack Daniels). I ingested it at approximately 8PM. I am a 190 lb male 6'2". I have an ETG test tomorrow (wednesday) at 3:30 PM ~90 hours. Do I have any concerns about passing?

Alcohol used in cooking, contrary to popular belief, does not completely burn off. Therefore alcohol (EtOH) is introduced into your system and consequently EtG is produced in the metabolism of same.

However this process is related to the quantity of EtOH consumed (dose dependent) as is elimination.

Given the circumstances you describe, it is unlikely EtG was produced in excess of detectable levels even at peak (within 6 hrs of ingestion).

At 90 hours the chance of detection is nil absent some personal physiologic anomaly.