Drug Testing

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 tests can also detect traces of other substances in the system. There are different types of bodily samples that can be checked when performing drug tests. These include urine, hair, saliva or oral-based screening, and a sweat drug testing.

Drug Testing

The first type of 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 screening 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 tests are another form of common substance screening. Hair 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 testing their hair 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 tests may be used to detect substance use during the few days prior to the test. This type of screening is becoming more commonly used due to its convenience and the fact that it cannot be altered. Oral fluid based testing is also popular because of the fact that it can be done on-site. Onsite tests prove to be the most effective type of screening process.

The advantages of this type of testing is that it is donor-friendly, non invasive and easy to collect the specimen. Oral fluid 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 testing is used by child protection services, parole departments, and other government institutions concerned with substance abuse over a long period of time.