How long can EtG be detected in urine?
Traditional laboratory methods detect the actual alcohol in the body, which reflects current use within the past few hours (depending on how much is consumed). The presence of EtG in urine indicates that ethanol was ingested within the previous 3 to 4 days, or approximately 80 hours after ethanol is eliminated from the body. Therefore, EtG is a more accurate indicator of the recent injection of alcohol than measuring for the presence of ethanol itself.