Study title

This is one of two sub-studies that deal with "Substance abuse in the workplace". Part 1: Study of etylglukuronid (ETG) in saliva, blood and urine after consumption of alcohol. Part 2: Examination of drug use among employees using questionnaires and analysis of saliva samples. Alcohol and drug abuse affects society in many ways, e.g., health, social relations, safety, and productivity at the workplace. Alcohol is more significant in this respect than drugs because the use of alcohol is common and accepted by society. Testing of oral fluid (saliva) may be used to detect and monitor alcohol and drug use. Saliva is an easily available, non-invasive medium without the intrusion of privacy and with little chance of adulteration (unlike urine). Saliva is probably the only other body fluid that might parallel blood in some regards and may be related to behavioural performance. The presence of alcohol, drugs or drug metabolites in saliva indicate very recent intake, and reflects better than urine whether the subject might be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Some biological markers of recent large alcohol consumption might be found in saliva. High concentrations of these compounds might reflect recent large intakes of alcohol and may probably indicate hangover due to alcohol. The aim of this pilot project is to develop and validate analytical methods for alcohol, drugs, and biological markers of recent large alcohol consumption in saliva, develop a questionnaire on alcohol and drug use, and perform a small study of the prevalence of alcohol impairment, recent large alcohol intake (which may cause hangover), and possible drug impairment at a few Norwegian workplaces by analysing saliva samples. The participation is voluntary and anonymous. The results of the pilot project will be used to design a larger study.