Drug Testing
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Drug testing involves an examination of
different bodily samples to detect the presence or absence
of illicit substances in the person who is being examined.
Drug testing can also detect traces of other substances in
the system. There are different types of bodily samples that
can be tested when performing drug testing. These include
urine drug testing, hair drug testing, saliva screening or
oral-based screening, and a sweat drug testing.
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The first type of drug testing is a urine screen and is also known
as a urinalysis. This procedure requires the person to provide a
urine sample. After the sample has been provided, a sample card
may be used on-site to detect results immediately or the sample
may be sent away to have a series of tests performed on it. Some
individuals try to pass drug testing by drinking a large amount
of water prior to the examine however the sample may be thrown out
if it is too clear, indicating dilution.
Hair drug testing is another form of common substance screening.
Hair drug testing is very accurate and results can go back approximately
three months or six months with specialty screening supplies. The
longer the hair, the further back in time one can examine for potential
chemical use. This is due to the fact that as the hair grows out,
the illicit substances used are encased in the hair shaft.
Some individuals may try to get out of hair drug testing by shaving
their heads. In these cases, body hair can be used although the
detection will be based upon different factors as body hair grows
slower than head hair. The main disadvantage of this type of exam
is that the samples need to be sent to a lab in order to get the
results. This type of screen may not also be able to detect very
recent substance use.
Saliva or oral fluid based drug testing may be used to detect substance
use during the few days prior to the test. This type of drug testing
is becoming more commonly used due to its convenience and the fact
that it cannot be altered. Oral fluid based drug testing is also
popular because of the fact that it can be done on-site. Onsite
drug testing proves to be the most effective type of screening process.
The advantages of this type of drug testing is that it is donor-friendly,
non invasive and easy to collect the specimen. Oral fluid drug testing
has a very small time-frame in which substance use can be detected.
Depending on the chemicals used and the person's type of saliva,
this time-frame can be anywhere from a few hour to two or three
days.
The last type of drug testing is the sweat chemical screen. In
this procedure, sweat patches are attached to the skin to collect
perspiration over a prolonged period of time, usually about ten
to fourteen days. This drug testing is used by child protection
services, parole departments, and other government institutions
concerned with substance abuse over a long period of time.
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