There has been a lot of talk about hair alcohol testing and how it matches up against traditional forms of alcohol testing. Some argue for the price of the specific test, there are others out there that can reveal alcohol abuse for half the cost of hair alcohol testing. The fact is, other tests like breathalyzers and urine alcohol testing can reveal alcohol consumption but not anywhere near the precision or the scope of hair alcohol testing. Essentially, by testing for alcohol abuse with hair alcohol testing once, you can reveal 12 months of abuse, whereas a urine alcohol test's findings could only reveal up to a week or 10 days at best. Hair alcohol testing is extremely sensitive and exact, and for many employers, social services and others, exact information is priceless.

How Small Is Too Small Of A Trace Of Alcohol To Be Found In Hair Alcohol Testing?

Hair alcohol testing is so sensitive to alcohol that it can pick up traces of alcohol in a person's hair if they were to visit a pub or in a dentist office or other environment where medicine with alcohol is involved. Alcohol is around us in the air in different forms whether we are aware of it or not. Ethanol is present in all hair including those who abstain from alcohol altogether.

To avoid the confusion of those who ingest alcohol and those who happened to be in the environment of alcohol present, hair alcohol testers use EtG alcohol testing, a special form of hair alcohol testing that measures the amount of alcohol ingested and metabolized by the body. When a person consumes alcohol, part of it reacts with fatty acids to produce esters. The test adds up the concentrations of four fatty acid ethyl esters, (FAEEs) that are apparent in the test and uses them as indicators of the alcohol consumption. As the hair grows, it absorbs special markers called fatty acid ethyl esters and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) into its structure, which remain in the hair indefinitely. These patented markers are only produced when there is alcohol in the bloodstream, and the more markers there are, the more alcohol you consumed.

The amounts found in hair are measured in nanograms (one nanogram equals only one billionth of a gram)- however with the benefit of modern technology, it is now possible to detect such small amounts.

Pros and Cons of Other Traditional Methods Verses Hair Alcohol Testing

? Hair Alcohol Testing Window of Detection: Up to 12 months

? Traditional Methods: Less than 4 weeks

? Possibility of False Positives or Tampering with Hair Alcohol Testing: None

? Possibility of False Positives or Tampering with Traditional Testing Methods: Yes

? Invasive Testing Procedure with Traditional Testing Methods: Yes

? Invasive Testing Procedure with Hair Alcohol Testing: No

Whether your school, office, hospital or legal system should use hair alcohol testing as its preferred method of testing for alcohol abuse is a very personal choice that depends on many factors. You can't put a price on your company's name as a reputable provider of safe services. When it comes to paying for piece of mind on your staff or student's safety, there isn't anything more valuable than that.