Alcohol in urine, saliva, sweat, and breast milk and biomarkers of alcohol consumption

• Author: James G. Wigmore
• Pages: 59-68

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Alcohol in Urine, Saliva, Sweat, and

Breast Milk and Biomarkers of Alcohol

Consumption

In addition to the more commonly used alcohol testing of breath and

blood of drinking dr ivers, other substances such as urine and saliva h ave

been employed. Transdermal (sweat) alcohol monitoring of persons on

parole or probation with the condition of no alcohol consumption is be-

coming more frequent. Biomarkers of alcohol consumption found in the

hair or urine are a lso used for this purpose. Since alcohol distributes

throughout the total body water, it is not surprising th at alcohol, if con-

sumed by a lactating woman, appea rs in her breast milk.

4.01 URINE

Urine is the only sample that can be collected from living subjects th at

can indicate the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at a time prior to the

collection of the sample, as it is stored in the bladder (). The phase

of the BAC curve can be determined v ia the urine alcohol concentration

(UAC) by the following:

• UAC < BAC (absorption phase, BAC increasing)

• UAC > BAC (post-absorption phase, BAC plateaued or decreasing)

Alcohol causes an increase in urine f‌low (diuresis) during only the

f‌irst several hours after d rinking (, ). Urine samples collected

from drinki ng drivers can be used to determine BAC (, ).

Falsely high UACs may occur in the urine sample if collected from a

diabetic person who has a yeast infection (, ). The use of re-

frigeration and NaF prevents this alcohol formation (–). Freezing

and re-thawing urine sa mples and improperly sealed containers cause