Festande leder till körkortsindragning trots att man är nykter (enda tråden om peth)

PEth<20 ng/mL: “Light or No Consumption”: Abstinence or
light drinking (from not drinking to averaging less than two
drinks/day for several days a week).

20–200 ng/mL: “Significant Consumption”: Moderate level of
drinking (averaging between 2 to 4 drinks/day for several
days a week). This range corresponds to the top of National
Institute of Alcoholism and Alcshol Abuse’s (NIAAA) “low
risk” category for men (males: no more than four drinks in a
day or 14 drinks per week; females: 3 drinks/day or 7 drinks
a week) (45,46). This range also encompasses the World
Health Organization’s “Low Risk” (males up to 40 g/day;
females 20 g) and “Medium Risk” (males up to 60 g/day;
females 40 g) categories (47).

>200 ng/mL: “Heavy Consumption”; Heavy drinking (at least 4
drinks/day several days a week). Anything above 4 drinks (56
g)/day begins what NIAAA and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) term
“Heavy Drinking” (13,45,46). The World Health Organization
terms “High Risk” the daily consumption of 60 g/day for
males and 41 g/day for females; Very High Risk (begins at
more than 101 g/day (7.2 drinks) for males and more than
61 g/day (4.3 drinks) for females (47).

For example, “The employee’s
PEth of 305 ng/mL indicates that he is likely a heavy consumer
of alcohol. Research has shown that PEth values in this range
are found in people who regularly consume 4 or more standard
drinks per day or who binge drink a total of 28 or more drinks
over the course of a week.”

Legal Acceptance of PEth and Evaluating a PEth Result
The PEth has been accepted in administrative hearings across
the United States (36–41). In a presentation to the United States
7th Circuit Court, a noted authority in family law stated, “the
PEth in blood and EtG in nail/hair are in current use all over the
world and have been accepted by the professionals in this specialized
world. . . These tests are being used all over the country
for family court matters as well.” (42). The virtues of the PEth
were also presented to the Texas Bar Association in 2017 (43).
It is clear that the PEth has been judged to be meaningful in aiding
in court decisions.

A “positive” PEth finding (>20 ng/mL) in the lower range
(e.g., 20–80 ng/mL) indicates that the person has very likely
consumed at least 2.5 or more standard drinks for several days
prior to the test or had binged rather heavily. While a low PEth
value does not reveal the pattern of consumption, the unassailable
conclusion is that the employee has consumed alcohol
within the past month or so.

When the PEth value is within the 80–200 ng/mL range, it is
readily interpreted as the employee having ingested significant
quantities of alcohol within the past few weeks, either by bingeing
or regular consumption. As the laboratory PEth finding is
the minimum concentration of the deteriorating PEth, the
research findings noted above can provide some suggested intensities
of the alcohol consumption, but for perspective only.

When PEth values are above 200 ng/mL, then the clinician
can be confident that the employee has been drinking very heavily
and likely frequently.

The PEth result can be used to validate or discredit an
employee’s claims about his/her alcohol consumption. In security
settings where an employee’s truthfulness is paramount, an
employee’s self-report about their use of alcohol becomes important
data. If an employee claiming abstinence has negative breath
and EtG tests, but a positive PEth, that indicates he is not being
truthful about his use of alcohol. If he claims that he drinks no
more than three beers a week but his PEth is within the “significant”
or “heavy” consumption range then the employer should
be concerned about trusting him.

Comparing PEth laboratory findings to an employee’s claims
about his use of alcohol should be understood as a barometer of
his more general ability to be candid in situations that could
negatively affect him. The meaning of significantly discrepant
claims should not be concretely limited to the employee’s use of
alcohol but viewed as an indicator

körkortshavaren på grund av opålitlighet i nykterhetshänseende inte bör ha körkort