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We’re continuing our myth busting series with a common misconception about SCRAM CAM® alcohol monitoring: that everyday products like hand sanitiser or household cleaners can trigger a positive result.
But this isn’t quite right.
While alcohol-based products have the potential to trigger an initial alert if they contact the skin near the device, that alert is not the same as a confirmed positive result.
The confirmation process used by SCRAM CAM® is specifically designed to distinguish external alcohol contact from a genuine drinking event before anything is reported.
Why people believe this myth
Products like hand sanitiser, hairspray and household cleaners contain alcohol.
Naturally, some people assume that everyday contact with them could produce a false SCRAM CAM® reading if these substances come into contact with the bracelet.
The facts
SCRAM CAM® is an alcohol monitoring bracelet, worn around the ankle, that uses transdermal analysis to sample and test perspiration that is always on the skin (known as insensible perspiration).
A pump inside the bracelet takes a sample of this perspiration once every 30 minutes, and a fuel cell –just like the kind used in breath alcohol testing (breathalyser) devices – reacts with ethanol to measure the presence of alcohol.
While alcohol-containing products such as hairspray, spilled drinks or hand sanitiser could potentially trigger an initial alcohol alert, this is not the same as a confirmed positive result.
The system is specifically designed to distinguish between environmental exposure to alcohol, and alcohol that’s been metabolised through the skin when a person has been drinking.
Spilling a drink or a product containing alcohol (such as household cleaners, hair spray or hand sanitiser) creates a rapid spike much more quickly than the body would ever consume alcohol; it also evaporates and burns much faster than the body can metabolise alcohol.
AlphaBiolabs’ confirmation process includes an analysis that ensures any confirmed drinking event is from consumed alcohol.
Furthermore, our data experts have tested exposure to hairspray and hundreds of other alcohol-containing products to ensure the bracelet does not mimic a drinking event or create a false positive.
What this means in practice
For family court matters, this means a SCRAM CAM® result can be relied upon with confidence.
This is especially relevant during the festive season, where heightened emotional stress, family gatherings and an increase in social drinking create a higher-risk environment for relapse, or disputes over a parent’s sobriety that could affect child arrangements.
Other benefits of SCRAM CAM®:
- Real-time, continuous monitoring, providing reassurance across the whole festive period rather than a single point in time
- 24/7 transdermal alcohol detection
- Gain insight into a participant’s drinking activities over a defined period
- Tamper-proof bracelet can be worn on the ankle for as long as required
- Quick and easy to fit at the client’s home by AlphaBiolabs trained staff
- State-of-the-art technology can register very low alcohol consumption (1‑2 units)
- Can distinguish between drinking and environmental exposure to alcohol
- Notification of alcohol consumption within 24 hours of a confirmed event
- Legal Aid Board approved
If you’re considering SCRAM CAM® in the run-up to Christmas, our expert team can help you decide whether it’s the right option for your client, and get it fitted in good time.
Call us on 01 402 9466, email testing@alphabiolabs.com, or complete our online quote form.
Next up in this series, we’re busting the myth that as long as you’re testing for drugs or alcohol, it doesn’t matter what type of test you use.
Read the previous instalment in this series: Myth #2 It’s difficult to conduct drug or alcohol testing on someone with little or no hair
