title: Detection of the ethanol consumption markers ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in urine samples from inmates of two German prisons.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abstinence from ethanol is necessary in various situations. Among these are jail terms. Nevertheless, it is a matter of fact that ethanol is illegally produced and ingested in prisons. So far, data regarding drug prevalence in jail have mainly been collected by questionnaires. To get an objective database for the prevalence of ethanol consumption in jail, a cross-sectional study was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inmates of two German prisons (Offenburg and Freiburg) were asked to give a urine sample at an unknown and random point of time. Participation was voluntary and did lead to neither negative consequences nor benefits. All samples were anonymized. Using the consumption markers ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS), the urine samples were tested for previous ethanol consumption. Analyses were performed by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 676 male inmates participated in this study. The participation rate was 70-75% of all permanent inmates in Offenburg and 30.6% in Freiburg. Ten of the 555 (1.8%) samples from Offenburg and 1 of the 121 (0.8%) samples from Freiburg were positive for ethanol consumption markers with concentrations ranging from trace amounts to 1400 ng/mL for EtG and up to 510 ng/mL for EtS, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of participants in this study was rather high, so that the results represent a good cross section, at least for Offenburg, the jail with the higher number of positive samples.
authors.affiliation: Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Albertstraße 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. annette.thierauf@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thierauf-Emberger
authors.affiliation: Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Albertstraße 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.affiliation: Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Albertstraße 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Auwärter
authors.affiliation: Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Albertstraße 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Huppertz
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000652:urine*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005858:Germany; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters / Q000652:urine*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005965:Glucuronates; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; C093924:ethyl glucuronide; C011612:diethyl sulfate
keywords: Ethanol consumption; Ethyl glucuronide; Ethyl sulfate; Prison