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--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story= 490468 Alcohol test gives new meaning to hair of dogBy Cahal Milmo 12 February 2004 Drinkers anxious to avoid letting their employers know of their fondness for a tipple have a new reason to fear. Scientists yesterday published research which will provide the first test to allow alcohol to be detected in human hair days, and even years, after the subject has been near a glass of shiraz or pint of beer. An international study which is being co-ordinated in Switzerland and America has isolated three marker chemicals produced by the body which point conclusively to the consumption of alcohol. Tests to detect drugs such as cocaine or ecstasy in hair have been available for several years and are increasingly used by British companies to screen employees, particularly those in "safety- critical" industries such as air travel, road transport and the railways. Last year, more than two million workers had tests. A similar method for reliably detecting heavy drinkers has until now evaded scientists because, unlike most drugs, alcohol disappears from the body within 24 hours of consumption. Dr Friedrich Wurst, a psychiatrist based at the University of Basel in Switzerland, who is co- ordinating the research, said the tests would allow groups, from employers to those supervising recovering alcoholics, to gain evidence of consumption from a single shandy to a full bottle of spirits. Dr Wurst said: "We have found three substances which together form a battery of tests to allow us to find out whether someone has drunk alcohol and to what extent they have been drinking. Two of these substances can be detected in human hair. If the subject is an airline pilot or a train driver then it is of great benefit for public safety. The only way to remove all the evidence is for somebody to remove all their body hair." The tests, reported by New Scientist magazine, are based on metabolites, or substances left in the body by the breakdown of alcohol. Among these marker chemicals are four fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs), which occur in the blood within 12 to 18 hours of drinking alcohol and are stored in hair. The work conducted by Dr Wurst and teams in Chicago and New York found that testing FAEE levels could show whether someone had been a light or heavy drinker. Another substance found by the Swiss-American team, ethyl glucuronide or EtG, can be found in both hair and urine. A positive test in urine would prove for certain whether, for example, a train driver involved in a crash had taken drink in the previous five days. The third chemical, phosphatidyl ethanol (PEth), will stay in the blood stream for up to three weeks of someone who drinks the equivalent of more than three pints of beer a day. The tests, which are still under development, could become a new weapon in the armoury of organisations who need to test employees or patients for alcohol consumption. At least 10 per cent of British companies screen workers for substance abuse, accounting for about 2.6 million employees. In America, drug testing is the norm, with 90 per cent of the top 500 companies conducting routine screening. Researchers believe the trend in Britain is spreading beyond the transport and industrial sectors into white-collar trades such as banking. BIG BROTHER IN THE WORKPLACE Psychometric and personality tests: IQ to psychotic tendencies are tested by about three-quarters of UK employers Drug tests: One in eight companies now tests for drug and alcohol abuse. Urine samples are the most common, although hair and saliva tests are now available. Surveillance: Surveillance of e-mail and the internet are common practice, but it is also possible to monitor the location of employees through their mobile phones. Health checks: Although the Government has indicated its opposition, employers can legally refuse job applicants if tests indicate increased risk of health problems. 12 February 2004 02:51 Search this site: Printable Story Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, including use of cookies | Sign up for our free daily news update Freelance contributions | Advertise in print | Other Digital sites | Contact us © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many genera- tions. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it." 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