Hello, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I am subjected to 100ng cutoff EtG as part of a monitoring program, which I realize is very low, and I am on a contract which states I must COMPLETELY abstain from all sources of ethanol, and the list was very specific about what foods and other products contain ethanol. This contract seems to nullify any claim that I can make for incidental exposure, because they can say "well you didnt pay close enough attention, etc" Well Yesterday I ate some Salami without reading the labeling, and behold one of the ingredients is wine. I have calculated that the maximum amount of pure ethanol that I consumed is no more than 0.156 g. I have to give a urine screen 12 hours post ingestion. I weigh 160 pounds. Do you think I have anything to be concerned about? Also do you think I really have a chance to challenge this if it does come back positive at say 101 ng ? Thanks!!

Any alcohol that is in a Salami during its manufacture would have long since evaporated away... since they are dry aged.

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Originally Posted by DryTherm456

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I am subjected to 100ng cutoff EtG as part of a monitoring program, which i realize is very low, and I am on a contract which states i must COMPLETELY abstain from all sources of ethanol, and the list was very specific about what foods and other products contain ethanol. This contract seems to nullify any claim that I can make for incidental exposure, because they can say "well you didnt pay close enough attention, etc" Well Yesterday I ate some Salami without reading the labeling, and behold one of the ingredients is wine. I have calculated that the maximum amount of pure ethanol that I consumed is no more than 0.156 g. I have to give a urine screen 12 hours post ingestion. I weigh 160 pounds. Do you think I have anything to be concerned about? Also do you think I really have a chance to challenge this if it does come back positive at say 101 ng ? Thanks!!!

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Based on your calculation 0.156 g EtOH, that amount would not create EtG in sufficient quantity to reach the level of detection (LOD) at any point in time. As example, 1.0 g EtOH will peak above 100 ng EtG within hours but will then rapidly decline. (see Thierauf) However, EtOH present in many foods wasn't used in preparation but added post-production as a preservative or to enhance flavor. That would be the reason it is listed on label. That creates the conditions for fermentation.

Many foods, fruits, baked and canned products with little or no EtOH initial content ferment alcohol across time. This has been studied in Germany and particularly by Musshoff (below).

While products with trace amounts of EtOH are ubiquitous (almost anything that contains sugar) and could potentially register on EtG/EtS, however being aware of the phenomenon will prevent problems. It is largely a matter of timing and proper hydration in the 24 hours prior to test.

A. Thierauf (2009) Urine tested positive for ethyl glucuronide after trace amounts of ethanol. Addiction. Volume 104, Issue 12, pages 2007–2012, December 2009

Musshoff, et al (2010) Ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in urine after consumption of various beverages and foods—misleading results? International Journal of Legal Medicine, Volume 124, Number 6, 623-630,