individual drug metabolites based on their molecular “fingerprints,” and check the accuracy of the instant test with a high level of specificity. Te mass spectrometry analysis will tell you whether, for example, a substance is present as indicated by the instant test, but is not an illegal substance. Conversely, mass spectrometry can tell you that not only was an opiate found, but it was oxymorphone. Te mass spectrometry result is the final result.
Hair testing is ‘new science’
and is not ready for primetime. Hair testing was brought to the commercial marketplace in 1987
DISH Network and upheld Coats’ termination.1
Oral fluid provides a similar window
of detection to urine It is widely known in the drug testing industry that oral fluid
provides a shorter window of detection when compared with urine. However, some clients see oral fluid as a much simpler and less intrusive method. It is important that clients are properly informed about using the right tool for the desired outcome. In 2007, Dr. Marilyn Huestis and Dr. Edward Cone published a study, in which they found that “urine testing characteristically provided relatively high detection rates for up to 3 days following drug cessation. In contrast, oral fluid testing typically provided moderate detection rates for 24 hours. Detection at lower concentrations generally extended detection times for both oral fluid and urine. In general, it was observed that the use of oral fluid as a specimen for methamphetamine testing provided a shorter ‘window of detection.’”2 On deciding whether to use urine or oral fluid, the client should consider the purpose
28 datia focus
of the testing, e.g., reasonable suspicion or post-accident testing, and which detection period best meets that purpose, as well as the logistics of collection.
My lab result was negative but my
instant/point of care test was positive. I need a new cup vendor. Tey could BOTH be right! Instant/point of care test results
depend on combined activity in a given drug class. Te instant test is designed to simply indicate if further testing is needed, and is not a definitive test. It’s like asking someone to let you know when the temperature is 87.3 degrees. He can reach out the car window and tell you “Well, I think it’s close, but I can only confirm using the thermometer.” Similarly, when the instant urine or saliva result is “positive,” it is indicating that an illegal substance may be found. Te sample is then sent to a lab for confirmation—the thermometer is analogous to the mass spectrometer. Te gas and liquid chromatography mass-spectrometers are highly specialized instruments that are able to identify
aſter ten years of extensive research and development. With millions of hair tests already conducted for employers, child protection agencies, and police forces all over the world, the scientific validity has been proven over the last twenty-five years in numerous federal, state, and military courts, as well as in private arbitrations. Hair testing is most commonly used to identify lifestyle drug users at the pre- employment stage—thereby preventing them from entering the workplace and bringing associated risks—and use of random hair testing is also growing. Tere are important things to look for when selecting a hair testing lab, including FDA clearance of screening tests and accreditation for hair testing by the College of American Pathologists (“CAP”), which requires compliance with rigorous forensic testing standards. Finally, the lab needs to effectively address external contamination through extensive and validated wash procedures, in order to distinguish between drug ingestion and exposure.
Confirmed levels of metabolite
concentrations in urine are directly proportionate to usage (i.e. the more
Fall 2015
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