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Hair Follicle Drug Testing

drugtest — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:37:51 +0000

One of the most popular way of drug testing is hair sample drug testing as it has the capacity to detect the presence of drug in the persons body whether or not the same person has used drugs in the past 3 months. It can detect all of the major types of drugs, including marijuana, opiates, methamphetamines, PCP, ecstasy, and cocaine. It can also trace the amounts of illicit substances trapped in the cortex of the hair. All this proves that exposure area is much larger in hair drug testing. Hair follicle drug testing gives the information of an individual’s drug use history.

Hair follicle drug testing is a great way to detect the presence of drug in the hair of an individual undergoing the test. The process is quite simple and easy and requires a sample of hair in order to accomplish the test. Once a hair sample of the suspected individual is collected it is preserved in a sachet and sent to a partaking laboratory for drug testing. Hair follicle drug testing is fast and provides more accurate result than any other drug test forms. Hair drug testing discrete and confidential and so parents can collect a strand of hair from the pillow of their child if they suspect them to take drugs without allowing them to know before making accusations and take necessary steps to stop their child from further abusing drugs if they are found to use drugs. Thus by employing hair drug testing in the home, parents can safeguard their child against drug abuse while keeping the same issue confidential.

Even employers can request a sample from their employees if they are found to behave abnormally so that they can take proper action against them to keep the working environment healthy. Such drug testing programs although is more expensive that a urine drug test kit, but they avoid the embarrassing collection of samples like that of urine or saliva drug tests and also provide a level of accuracy that is nearly ten times that of other testing methods. All that is involved in this program is a single strand of hair and that is all. And as soon as the results are traced, you are sent notification of the results.

So you can see what kind of results you can get through hair follicle drug testing. Not only such program detects the presence of drug in an individual but also it helps to determine the level of users and the type of drugs used. The biggest advantage of such programs according to me is that such test can be done at home by parents who can safeguard their child against drug abuse while keeping the same issue confidential. And another best thing of hair follicle drug testing is that it avoids the embarrassing collection of samples like that of urine or saliva.

Oral Fluid Drug Testing

drugtest — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:23:22 +0000

Oral Fluid/saliva drug tests are rapidly becoming the ideal process for drug testing at both the home and workplace. Generally they can also detect the specimens of previous few days. Oral fluid based drug tests are as accurate as the urine tests. They can be obtained from quality suppliers in the United States. Specifically, the oral fluid test enables to employ the random drug testing programs, which are the efficient form of drug testing. These tests are likely photocopies the results of the blood tests and the level of intoxication can be estimated, according to the substances in the blood.

Oral Fluids can detect:

• ALCOHOL - Q.E.D. Saliva Alcohol Test (rapid)

• NIDA-5 - THC, Cocaine, Opiates, Amphetamines, PCP

• OTHERS - Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates, Methadone

Features and Benefits of Oral Fluid Testing

The following are the feature of Oral fluid drug testing which even serves as the benefits to the donors:

• Cost Efficiency: The oral fluid is the interceptive test that minimizes or even eliminates the collection fees, reduces the scheduling issues and extensively reduces the lost work time. It costs a lot if the same test is conducted based the urine specimens.

• Control the Process: Oral fluid samples don’t require any special facilities. They can be collected by anytime and at anywhere. There are many alternative for collecting the specimens. It can be collected in a small conference room or in an office. This screening enables the donors to provide the samples and seal it easily, in few minutes. The laboratory reports negative results on the same day and the positive results are confirmed using GC/MS/MS and reports within 2-3 days.

• Adulteration: An oral fluid test can merely abolish the risks evolved in the adulteration. It is virtually impossible to mask the oral fluid samples with drug consumed. The oral fluid testing is often a direct observed system.

• Employee Dignity: The oral fluid test delivers a dignified, secured and evident collection method. The dignity of the collection method is an authentic benefit. It helps in making a good impression. As these are the tests conducted for your loved ones, or for your employees. As a result, this testing is a less embarrassing method to adopt.

Advantages of Oral Fluid Testing over Urine Tests:

Using well-proven technology, saliva tests offer several advantages over urine based tests:

• Oral fluid samples may be collected under direct supervision without donor privacy issues.

• Helps to eliminate sample adulteration.

• Sensitive and specific assays provide accurate test results.

• Non-invasive.

• Ideal for on-site testing. Test may be conducted anywhere and at anytime.

• No additional equipment or operator training required.

• The test kit includes all components like, instruction card to eliminate the errors.

The above information helps the individuals who want to test the drug screening in a simple and easy way.

Thc (tetrahydrocannibinol) Drug Testing

drugtest — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:35:52 +0000

THC (Tetrahydrocannibinol) is an active component in marijuana, which is commonly ingested by smoking and can also be eaten. It is the drug which is commonly a choice of teenagers and young adults. Low concentrations of THC persist in urine at a detectable concentration for many days after smoking. It is a common recreational drug of abuse. It is a hallucinogenic agent derived from the leaves, flowers or seeds of the hemp plant. Usually, the production and curing of the marijuana plant into its useable form closely resembles that of tobacco.

What is THC?

THC is an abbreviation for Tetrahydrocannibinol, which is the substance found in marijuana. As the active ingredient in cannabis, THC is what causes the pleasurable sensations those who take marijuana describe.

Signs of THC Marijuana Abuse and Addiction

A person who is high on marijuana exhibits tell-tale symptoms like, loud talking and laughter, sleepiness, distorted sense of time intervals and forgetfulness. Marijuana addicts are often focused on the drug at all times. Its warning signs include dependence, uncontrollable urge to use the drug, and mental fixation on the drug despite all the consequences associated with it.

THC Drug Testing

Drug testing for THC marijuana is beneficial for the companies and parents alike. This test is not only easy to perform, but laboratories also accurate in many cases. THC drug test kits are available in many different types including hair drug tests, urine drug tests, saliva drug tests and spray drug tests. Each of them have their own pros and cons, yet more popular among them at home and the w0orkplace is the urine drug test.

All among, companies benefits greatly from THC drug testing, as it helps to maintain a safe working environment for employees and keeps productivity up. Marijuana drug testing can keep jobsite drug abuse at cove and ensure employees are safe, healthy and working to the best of their ability.

Parents can also benefit from marijuana testing. Drug testing kits are simple to use and help worried families conclude whether or not their child is abusing drugs. Drug testing for marijuana can help keep drugs out of your home and out of the hands of your children. Marijuana testing can also be the first step in helping your teen overcome their drug addiction.

THC is used by millions of users every year, and is continued to grow more evidence that uncovers its positive medical effects and disproves the negative publicity the drug receives. Marijuana has been proved to be less harmful then alcohol and cigarettes. With the increase of marijuana smokers the increase in the cover up and detoxification of marijuana increases as well. This leads to more and more urinary cleansers being marketed and used.

The above information illustrates how people are affected through abusing THC marijuana. THC detoxing and cleansing the body is easy to perform. There are many drinks and pills that help many people to get out of the Marijuana abusing.

Forensic Saliva Drug Tests or Oral Fluid Drug Tests

drugtest — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:04:15 +0000

Saliva or Oral Fluid is gaining popularity as the test media of choice due to it’s 1:1 ratio of blood drug concentrations. This is possible for saliva is termed as a refined version of plasma that has the capability to bear trace amounts of drugs and their resulting metabolites that can be easily tested through immunoassaying. Results can be obtainable in as little as 5 to 15 minutes allowing fast results and thus interpretation.Saliva or Oral Fluid drug testing kitscome in many forms and shapes, the most common come in kits that the individual being tested places in the mouth and saliva is obtained through a membrane that allows it to wet strips of media with indicator antigen-dye’s. Positive results would show color bands for each of the specific drugs in question. They are convenient and mostly used as pre-employment drug testing which allows no-fuss and immediate results. Adulteration is very hard if not totally impossible and come in multi-drug or drug specific test kits and is more un-invasive than other methods of drug testing.

Products from Medimpex United Inc.Like Multi Screen Saliva drug Test screen 5 are convenient and low-cost allowing pre-employment screening in a short period as opposed to laboratory testing that consumes time and resources. It can detect the “Golden Rule” drugs that are also called NIDA-5 or the five substances that are covered by mandatory screening for both federal and private corporations. These substances are Opiates/Morphine, Cannabinoids (marijuana), Cocaine (crack), Methamphetamine and Phencyclidines. Being low cost (under $12.00) it is perfect for use in immediate cases where testing is required such as accident investigation where the effects of drugs are suspected to be the cause, pre-employment, and employee monitoring.

Another product,Saliva Multi Drug Screen Test kit is an expanded version of the first one and is capable of detecting 6 drugs that uses one step chromatograph immunoassaying that can detect Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites or drug by-products in saliva. It is also affordable and has a low footprint making disposal easier as opposed to urine test kits which tend to be bulkier and tend to be more delicate to deal with.

OraLert,another of their products is also capable of detecting Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites or drug by-products in saliva with lower sensitivity to THC the active ingredient of Marijuana. Being the most abused drug in America accounting for 30% of total drugs abused in the country making it a necessary choice in testing for THC. Being priced higher at $13.50 it is still quite cheap compared with other competing products on the market.

They also carry Oral Fluid 6 Multi Drug Screen Test kits for laboratory examination on samples that produce non-negative results. They include instructions on how to handle and send the sample to a laboratory for further analysis. A test cap that is secured with a provided security seal and a chain of custody form that is essential for total accountability of the test sample as it is sent for testing. They are all then inserted into a padded mailer bag that is then sent to the laboratory for further screening more detailed metabolite identification.

The last test kit is similar to the second kit that can detect Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites. Pricing starts at almost $13.00 which when ordered in bulk, has the price dropping by increments. Saliva drug testing has benefits of on-site collection within plain view of the subject. There is minimal risk of adulteration, totally non-invasive and samples can be collected anywhere(the field, office, etc.)

Compared with most products on-line which are priced higher at $15.00 or more for the rapid test types the products mentioned above are quite similar and even better than some. Disadvantages include less sensitivity to marijuana and that being part of the body’s metabolism mechanism, drugs don’t stay in the system for long with only a 10 to 24 hour effective sampling time. Unlike hair drug tests which can produce historical information not only with they types of drugs but the quantity and frequency as well. For hair as it grows at a predictable rate metabolites become trapped within the follicles allowing accurate detection.

The drugs are then expelled by the body through urine with minute residue or metabolites to give an accurate reading. Several measures to defeat the tests have been observed such as eating foods that would alter the production of saliva and smoking which tends to mask the needed metabolites for detection. In these cases, urine is used for testing which tends to be more plentiful and copious quantities can be obtained through induced bladder excretion. Other specialist test kits are available for detecting Marijuana which tends to be weak in multi-panel test kits. But the cost for testing for a single substance rather than multiple-testing would be detrimental but could be essential and unavoidable. Although gaining popularity within the private sector, these types of tests are not generally accepted as a valid test tool for urine is their media of choice. With urine,mostly dip type multi panel test kits are used which tend to cost a lot more than saliva test kits we have mentioned above.

Federal Drug testing is more rigorous and tends to be more tedious but private sector companies should be aware that although unregulated they are still covered by laws concerning privacy and discrimination issues. These tests cannot be demanded without probable cause and can be banned altogether by unions who target these detection measures in their Collective Bargaining Agreements. The Mandatory clause is for federal agencies only and does not cover companies that are not under government management. Companies are also to follow rules that apply to these tests as listed under the Department of Labor’s codes. If used in the home, training might be required by law for application in the school environment, though non-invasive consent is required for those below 18 years of age. And the proper representatives are required along with the necessary confidentiality policies.