I wrote this question before but for some reason it didn't post. I was prescribed Cheratussin AC for bronchiatis. It is 3.5% alcohol. I had two tablespoons last night and had an ETG today 20 hours later.. 500 ng cutoff. I drank a normal amount of water, weigh 195 and am 5'10" (muscular build) I have a normal metabolism, maybe slightly higher than normal. Is it possible that my ETG level could exceed 500 ng? I'm friends with the lady that runs the testing center and she says there is no way. I'm not in trouble either way but am curious. Please advise. Thanks!

I agree with your friend based on 1) alcohol content 2) time interval and 3) cutoff.

EtG would rise to level of detection (LOD), if at all, at about 3-5 hrs following ingestion then rapidly fall below LOD. EtG created would be excreted within 8 hrs and probably less.

A German study, (Musshoff, 2010) investigated the presence and excretion of EtG resulting from small amounts of alcohol in various foods and drinks. NOTE: This test used a cutoff of 100 ng. More sensitive than the 500.

You can read the results of that study here: International Journal of Legal Medicine