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Published:
Journal of Analytical Toxicology,
ISSN 0146-4760,
Volume 26, Number 5, July/August 2002,
pp. 262-266
Excretion Profiles of Ethyl Glucuronide in Human Urine
after Internal Dilution
Marion Goll, Georg Schmitt, Beate Ganßmann,
and Rolf E. Aderjan
Institute of Legal Medicine and Traffic Medicine, University of Heidelberg,
Voßstrasse 2, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany
Ethyl glucuronide (EG) is
a useful marker of alcohol consumption because its presence in urine can be
detected up to five days. We investigated the impact of diuresis on the urinary
excretion of EG, a minor ethanol metabolite. Seven healthy volunteers drank
250 mL of wine (25 g ethanol) in 15 min and, 240 min later, ingested 1 L of
water within 15 min. Urine was voided before the drinking started and every
30–60 min for 400–550 min thereafter. Urinary ethyl glucuronide (UEG),
creatinine, and ethanol were determined using liquid chromatography–tandem
mass spectrometry, Jaffé’s method, and the enzymatic ADH method,
respectively. The maximum diuresis coincided with the lowest values of the UEG
concentrations of 2 mg/L and the lowest creatinine values of 10 mg/dL 250–400
min after drinking. After drinking the wine, the urinary creatinine decreased
slowly. After a short period of increasing, it decreased to minimum values caused
by the water intake. After the intake of 1 L water, the diuresis increased within
60 min to its maximum. The amount of ethyl glucuronide excreted in urine was
10 mg (SD 5 mg) corresponding to 0.04% (SD 0.02%) of the dose administered.
In successive voids during the elimination phase, the UEG and the diuresis were
influenced after the subjects drank 1 L of water. Minimum UEG values of 0.5
mg/L could still be measured. Measuring UEG provides a reliable way to monitor
recent drinking of alcohol. However, urinary creatinine needs to be measured
additionally. Establishing a cutoff value of 25 mg/dL for urinary creatinine
in diluted samples, like for the analysis of illicit drugs, is recommended.
If the creatinine value is too low, the analyst has to decide about the further
procedure. Reproduction
of editorial content of this journal is prohibited without publisher’s
permission.
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