Table 2. Availability of analysis.
| Parameter | Availability of analysis | Important notes |
| Breath alcohol | Breath alcohol analyzers. potentially available at the site | Results of pretest devices*1 cannot be used as evidence in court. Analyzers must be calibrated on a regular basis. |
| Blood alcohol | Standard parameters in clinical-chemistry laboratories | The enzymatic method alone cannot used as evidence in court. Where appropriate. samples should be sent to laboratories for additional gas chromatographic analysis. e.g. an Institute of Legal Medicine. |
| MeOH | Analysis offered by several specialized laboratories in Germany | Various cut-off concentrations are used. |
| CDT | Test method available at many clinical-chemistry laboratories | Using the HPLC method (% CDT) allows a more reliable discrimination of genetically determined changes of transferrins. |
| GGT. AST. ALT. MCV | Standard parameters in clinical-chemistry ‧laboratories | Laboratory analysis of blood samples must be performed on the same day. |
| EtG in urine | Already available in many larger or specialized laboratories; also available as an immunoassay | The immunological method cannot be used as evidence in court. In case of a positive pretest result. the chromatographic method should be used for confirmatory analysis.*2 |
| EtG in serum | Chromatographic method. established only in few laboratories in Germany | Detection time shorter than in urine. |
| EtS in urine | Chromatographic method._detectable in specialized laboratories in serum and in urine (often included in EtG method) | Parameter complementing EtG in urine; its analysis is only meaningful in combination with EtG. |
| EtG in hair | Analysis offered by several specialized laboratories in Germany | One strand (about the thickness of a pencil) is sampled from the occiput. At that time. sufficient material for retention samples should be obtained. |
| FAEE in hair | Analysis established only in very few laboratories; the EtG hair sample can be forwarded for it. if required | Parameter complementary to EtG in hair; can be included especially in controversial cases. |
| PEth | Analysis currently offered only by a few specialized laboratories | Correct performance of pre-analytical proce‧dures is crucial. Analysis is performed on whole blood samples. In addition. dried blood spots should be obtained for stability reasons. |
Further details on analytical methods are provided in the eMethods.
ALT. alanine aminotransferase; AST. aspartate aminotransferase; CDT. carbohydrate-deficient transferrin; EtG. ethyl glucuronide; EtS: ethyl sulfate;
FAEE. fatty acid ethyl ester; GGT: gamma-glutamyl transferase; HPLC. high-pressure liquid chromatography; MCV. mean corpuscular volume; MeOH. methanol; PEth. phosphatidylethanol
*1 Pre-test devices are devices used for point-of-care testing (POCT)—as opposed to the legally admissible breath alcohol analyzers of the police.
*2 For example. exposition to 1-/2-propanol–containing disinfectant formulations and the intake of chloral hydrate can lead to false-positive results of immuno?chemical tests (eMethods).