Hair alcohol testing
Court-ready hair alcohol testing
Breath and blood measure the last few hours. Hair measures months — which is what a court asks about when the question is a pattern, not a night.
- Results in 5–7 business days
- Confidential
- Court-admissible
An average across months
A 3 cm sample gives one measure of how much you drank over roughly three months — not a reading for any single day.
Results in 5–7 business days
A court-ready certificate, emailed to you.
Judged against published limits
Your result is compared with cut-offs agreed internationally — not a scale we set ourselves, and ones the other side can check.
Accredited end to end
AHPRA-registered collectors; analysis by an independent NATA-accredited laboratory in Australia, operating to ISO/IEC 17025.
How EtG results are read
Ethyl glucuronide exists only because alcohol was consumed and metabolised. Results are read against three internationally agreed bands.
No significant use. Not inconsistent with abstinence — a trace here may be incidental or environmental.
Moderate consumption, of the kind associated with regular social drinking.
Heavy or chronic use — roughly six or more standard drinks daily over an extended period.
| Finding | Concentration | Indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Abstinence | < 5 pg/mg | No significant use. Not inconsistent with abstinence — a trace here may be incidental or environmental. |
| Repeated use | 5 – 30 pg/mg | Moderate consumption, of the kind associated with regular social drinking. |
| Chronic excess | > 30 pg/mg | Heavy or chronic use — roughly six or more standard drinks daily over an extended period. |
These describe an average across the period tested. EtG cannot be converted into drinks per day, and does not separate a binge pattern from steady drinking at the same average — a distinction that often matters, and one that needs a toxicologist's interpretation.
Why EtG is the marker used
Because it is produced only when the liver metabolises ethanol, EtG separates actual consumption from external contact with alcohol far more reliably than the alternatives.
That cuts both ways, which is the point — it is as useful for clearing someone wrongly accused of heavy drinking as for establishing that the drinking occurred.
Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) are not included. The international body that sets these standards dropped them from its consensus in 2019.
What can and cannot shift a result
Hair treatments. EtG is water-soluble and more vulnerable than most analytes to harsh chemical treatment. Laboratory tests on hair samples show some loss after aggressive relaxers or thermal straightening — but there are no controlled studies in living people showing it reliably drops a result below threshold, and attempting it risks both the hair and the credibility of the sample.
Alcohol-containing hair products. Not a factor. EtG is formed in the liver, so topical ethanol does not produce it.
Liver disease. Can in principle affect how ethanol is metabolised, and is one of the factors a forensic interpretation would consider.
Sample length. International guidelines recommend a minimum of 3 cm, which is what puts an EtG interpretation on firm footing. If your hair is shorter than that, call us before booking and we will talk through the options.
Court-ordered alcohol testing
Routine work for us — child welfare assessments, custody disputes, employment matters and criminal proceedings. Every case is handled with the same confidentiality, whichever party arranged it.
Where it's commonly used
8 contexts
- Divorce proceedings
- Domestic violence matters
- Child custody & welfare
- Employment testing
- DUI charges
- Insurance claims
- Probation or parole
- CASA aviation medical certification
On aviation: CASA's routine alcohol compliance is breath testing against a 0.02 BAC limit, not hair analysis. EtG is used in medical certification cases — where a pilot has to evidence a sustained period of abstinence — because it is the only method that reaches back months. See CASA drug and alcohol testing for pilots.
EtG — from 5 pg/mg
3 cm sample, about 3 months. 6 months is $1,398.
- Ethyl glucuronide (EtG)
- Read against international thresholds
- Minimum 3 cm of hair
- Appointment fee
- Tested in Australia
Why choose us
Fast
Results within 5–7 business days of the lab receiving your sample.
Comprehensive
Broad panels screened in one run, down to one part per billion.
Cost-effective
One fee covers the whole panel — no per-drug surcharges, and no repeat appointments to build a picture.
Confidential
Judgement-free, and released to nobody without your consent.
Non-intrusive
A small trim from the crown, taken in privacy and positioned so the cut stays out of sight. No bodily fluid samples.
Tamper-resistant
Collected and sealed under chain-of-custody protocol, and difficult to adulterate.
All-in-one
Booking, ID verification, collection and lab submission — handled here.
Accredited in Australia
AHPRA-registered collectors; analysis in Australia by a NATA-accredited laboratory to ISO/IEC 17025, never sent overseas.
No hidden fees — view our fees.
Book a hair alcohol test
Same-day appointments are usually available at our Melbourne clinic, and results are back within 5–7 business days.