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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Urine Drug Testing

drugtest — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:50:19 +0000

Urine drug testing is the most commonly used and federally mandated method of drug testing. Urine drug testing is used both as on-site tests and for laboratory analysis. It is said to be one of the most economical drug testing method with lower maintenance cost, yet often said to be with lower effectiveness.

Pros and Cons of Urine Drug Testing

As in the case of all other drug-testing methods, urine drug testing also has some advantages and disadvantages. It is also one of the most controversial methods of drug testing. Inexpensiveness, easy to perform, and providing reliable results are some of the advantages of urine drug testing. High levels of invasiveness and high potential of adulteration are some disadvantages. The following are some advantages and disadvantages of urine drug testing in detail.

Advantages of urine drug testing:

Urinalysis is one of the economical methods available to test people for drug abuse. Its least expensiveness made it popular with various organizations. Urine drug testing can detect the abuse of more than five to twelve drugs at a time. The drugs, which can be detected using urinalysis, include cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, morphine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, hydromorphone, tetrahydrocannabinol, propoxyphene, methadone, codeine, and barbiturates.

Disadvantages of urine drug testing:

The specimen collection process is the controversy and it is the major disadvantage of urine drug testing. Collecting specimen in urinalysis is highly invasive. Since, it is not feasible to collect specimen under reliable supervision, there is high possibility of specimen tampering. Other tampering methods include drinking excess water and using some adulterants like chlorine bleach, liquid drain cleaner, white vinegar, glutaraldehyde, etc.

There are many commercial products available in the market, which have potential to flush illicit substance out of the body and thus tamper the drug testing results easily. Urinalysis cannot be used to detect immediate drug abuse. It requires some time for the drug to be ingested into the body.

Urine drug testing is the affordable and suitable method for random drug testing at home and organizations and is easy to execute. Though there are some cons in urinalysis, it is still the classic drug testing method.

Hair Drug Testing in Other Countries

drugtest — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:25:38 +0000

The relevance of drug testing in the workplace has different degrees of variability across the globe. The view of the importance of hair drug testing varies from one country to another. Hair drug testing is more applicable for developed countries that have more stringent laws in relation to the quality of work environment. Among developing countries, the value of drug tests is waning.

The rational for hair drug testing in the workplace is ambiguous even in developed countries like the United States. In terms of monetary loss, the U.S. economy is losing more than US$ 250 billion each year written off as drug abuse cost, including about 500 million lost working days. The lost working days created by drug-abused employees are 66 percent greater than the absences incurred by healthy employees.

While the United States has made parallel studies on the impact of drug abuse in the work place, other countries like the United Kingdom and Canada have also stepped up their efforts in understanding the drug problem. In the UK, between 11 million and 17 million working days are lost each year, costing the UK economy as much as 1.8 billion pounds per year. Drug abuse is highly related to work efficiency in Canada where the economy is losing $400 million in lost productivity. Thus the primacy of hair drug testing in the workplace is more critical in countries looking to cut its economic costs.

Hair drug testing is relatively new in the United States. However, other countries have yet to catch up with this trend especially in applying these drug tests to regulate the workplace.

However, the phenomenon is catching up. UK courts have acknowledged hair drug testing as a basis for irrefutable evidence. Countries such as Belgium and Finland believe that privacy is an indivisible right above the mechanisms of drug testing in the workplace.

Countries in Europe have also experienced increase in demand for drug tests. However, hair drug testing is casted in a negative light. Studies have shown that dark haired individuals are more likely to test positive than light-haired individuals. Therefore, the need to validate such test results by using other methods other than hair drug testing is important especially in Europe where there are ethical issues that is being pushed in the forefront.

The advantage of hair drug testing is longer detection rates as compared to urine drug tests. However, the belief that there is a probability of false positive in hair drug testing can be a cause of concern in nations who value the rights of employees. While drug testing is slowly catching up there are still structural hindrances and cultural values that governs a country’s ethical standards on such issues.

Know About Laboratory Urine Drug Test

drugtest — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:33:30 +0000

Many types of drug testing techniques are available for detecting drug abuse. Urinalysis is one of the most commonly used urine based drug testing as it is a simple technique, and less expensive. Urine drug testing has been popular and employed successfully for testing drugs across the organizations, schools, at home etc.

Drugs tested

Laboratory urine drug testing detects the presence of many drugs with accurate results. This drug testing can detect maximum of 10 most commonly used drugs at once. It detects the parent drug or its metabolites by demonstrating recent use of prescription medications like opioids, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, barbiturates and illegal substances like heroin, illicit cocaine, marijuana, phencyclidine (PCP). This test is used as a screening tool to determine the prior use and concentrations of drugs present in the body.

Procedure followed

For laboratory urine drug test, collection and testing urine specimen is done under the presence of an authorized person. After this, tests are conducted on collected specimen for detection of drug tests by immunoassay screen followed by GS-MS confirmation test. Chemical highlighted test strip is used for this test. The test strip should be examined carefully with the help of lab testing devices depending upon the types of substances to be detected.

For each drug the detection periods and cut off levels depend on the nature and usage of the drug. The detection period of any drug through laboratory urine drug testing is from 6 hours to 3 days from the time of consumption. All screening tests are performed by the immunoassay based on the technology of the testing kit. Confirmatory tests are performed using either gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or any other superior technique. The samples are treated with either the technical or all of these methods to verify the results. Confirmation results are reported as positive or negative based on SAMSHA cut off levels and all non-negative results are confirmed prior to any disclosure.

Laboratory urine drug test is used as standard test for drug detection. Reliable results are possible with this laboratory drug testing and they can be used as a proof drug abuse. The above information gives you a helpful insight about the laboratory urine drug test, drugs detected through this and the procedure followed.

Pass Your Next Drug Test With Real Powdered Urine

drugtest — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:59:17 +0000

Has your employer informed you that you will need to take a drug test in the near future? Are you afraid of losing your job because of your inability to pass this drug test? If your upcoming drug test is causing you to lose sleep, it’s time to take a deep breath and relax. Even if you are in a position that could cause you to fail your drug test, it is still possible to pass your drug test and avoid losing your job.

Because they are cost efficient, fairly accurate and simple to administer, the urine test is the most common type of drug test used by employers. As you may already know, when an employer wants you to take a drug test, they will normally give you a short time frame to visit a drug testing lab and take the test. When you visit the drug testing laboratory, you will provide them with a sample of urine. After they analyze the sample you provided, they will send the results to your employer. Most laboratories will analyze your urine for five groups of drugs: amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana and opiates.

So, if you know that your own actual urine will not pass a drug test, what can you do to avoid losing your job? The key is investing in a reliable product that will ensure you pass your next drug test. When choosing a product to help you safely pass a drug test, it’s extremely important to understand one thing: synthetic urine is not a reliable product for passing any drug test! Although synthetic urine was once a viable way to pass a urine drug test, it no longer works. If you attempt to use synthetic urine to pass a urine test, the laboratory will quickly detect it and you could still end up losing your job.

As any ethical drug testing company will tell you, real powdered urine is the reliable way to pass a urine drug test. Because it is drug-free powdered urine from an actual human being, the laboratory’s screening is unable to detect it. If you want to ensure that your job doesn’t end up in jeopardy, skip the cheap synthetic urine and invest in a real powdered urine kit. By choosing real powdered urine, you can be completely confident when it’s time for your next drug test!

Thc (tetrahydrocannibinol) Drug Testing

drugtest — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:54:18 +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.

Know About Specimen Validity Test and Adulterants Tested in it

drugtest — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:47:18 +0000

Specimen validity testing refers to the tests conducted by laboratories to determine if a urine specimen is diluted, adulterated or substituted. Prior to urine drug testing, specimen validity test is conducted to know whether the specimen is tampered or not. To report a specimen as tampered, laboratories conduct an initial validity test and a confirmatory validity test. Oxidants, Creatinine, Specific Gravity and PH are few substances detected in specimen validity test.

Why to conduct specimen validity test?

Specimen validity test examines the validity of specimen i.e., up to how many hours the urine specimen can be used for any drug testing to get appropriate results and to detect any substance of abuse, which does not present in normal urine specimen. A specimen containing the minimum level of Creatinine and specific gravity values is identified as diluted.

Adulterants tested in specimen validity test

Adulteration means tampering urine specimen with an intention of beating the drug tests. Specimen validity test determines adulterants presence in the specimen, which are discussed below.

•    Creatinine: This is a waste product of Creatine. A person may attempt to dissolve it by drinking excess of water. Low Creatinine level indicates that urine specimen is diluted.

•    Nitrites: Nitrite is a chemical which doesn’t present in normal human urine. It is used to change the specimen composition. The specimen is adulterated, if it is found in the specimen validity test.

•    Oxidants: Oxidants are used to destroy major Cannobinoid metabolite in urine specimen. Presence of oxidants in urine specimen indicates the adulteration of urine specimen.

Criteria for testing adulterants

The following criteria is established to test adulterants in specimen

•    PH: PH test used to identify the presence of acidic or alkaline adulterants in urine. Normal PH ranges from 4.0 to 9.0. Level of this substance outside the range indicates that sample has been adulterated.

Specific Gravity: This test is used to know whether the sample is diluted or not. Normal range of Specific Gravity is from 1.003 to 1.030. Abnormal levels of Specific Gravity, indicates that the urine specimen is adulterated or diluted.

Specimen validity testing is the efficient way to examine the presence of any inconsistencies in the urine specimen. This test helps you in finding out the abusers who try to adulterate drug testing. Accurate results of any drug test are possible by conducting this test before the actual drug testing.

The Future Of Drug Testing – Hair Sampling

drugtest — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:42:07 +0000

One may consider the hair as a person’s crowning glory. In fact, most people spend hours in front of the mirror fixing their hair. Aside from making each one of us look good, the hair has yet another function you might be interested in. In today’s modern world, there comes another way of detecting drugs in individuals. Yes, using the hair! And it is actually the most accurate method of detecting drug abuse in individuals. It can detect drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates and the like. It is known as the hair drug test.

1. Ten Times More Effective Than Urine Drug Tests

With this kind of modern and convenient method, it is now easy for schools and even employers to test students and employees to determine whether or not they have drugs in their system. Hair drug tests come in handy kits with instructions on how to get hair specimens, then send it to the laboratory for evaluation.

2. How It Works:

According to studies, when a person takes in drugs, as with any other substances, such as food, medicines, or drinks, it mixes with our blood, and as we all know, the blood nourishes all parts of our body, including the head. Hints of these chemicals then become trapped or filtered through the hair follicle, thus, as the hair grows, these chemicals are stored in the hair. Interestingly, these chemicals become a part of the hair itself.

- Very accurate – Chemicals in the hair can be traced – Traces not just drugs in system at the time, but over the past three months! – A two-inch sample can give that persons drug history for a four month period of time – Hair drug testing is much more costly than urine testing – Hair testing is now widely used due to it’s effectiveness

3. How It’s Done:

- A hair drug test involves cutting a minimum of 50 strands of hair – Hair must be cut approximately one and a half inches from the scalp – Hair is then sent to the drug testing laboratory – The hair is actually screened and reviewed, then liquified for final testing – There are lots of hair drug testing kits available today

4. Hair Drug Testing Kits

Hair drug testing kits, though widely available, are not affordable. Prices range from $50-$69 for a complete kit. Laboratory processing fees are usually included when you make your purchase.

One point of view to consider tough – a positive test result does not automatically mean the person uses illegal drugs. In fact, positive results are sometimes triggered by other legal substances. One maybe is under medication or taking maintenance medications, or over-the-counter medications. It is wise therefore, that when the confirmation test comes back positive, it is important for a doctor, nurse, or other specialist to review the results and determine if illegal drugs are indeed the guilty party.

5. Beating Hair Drug Tests Is Impossible

Now other smart individuals are finding ways and means to beat the hair drug tests. Some say one can pass it through a kind of shampoo, especially from companies that claim that their shampoo cleans off all the toxins in the hair, but they are wrong. These toxins are already part of the hair follicle’s structure, cleaning it will literally mean taking it all off. The hair is like a plant. If a plant grows in a toxic environment, it will absorb toxins and toxins will become part of its structure – no amount of shampoo will change that.

As we cannot clean off toxins in the hair, can we mask it by bleach or dyeing one’s hair? Maybe for a time, yes we can. But then, our skin is made up of fatty tissues. These fatty tissues are responsible for storing toxins in the body. When our body sweats, it gives off skin oil and release toxins, and these will be touched and be absorbed by the hair. It’s like a cycle. The masked hair will then be contaminated once more.

Others shave off their hair, but sad to say, toxins don’t leave the body anytime soon. If you are being kept in confinement, your hair will slowly grow back in, and your drug use history will come back for all to see with it.

Drug Testing for Heroin

drugtest — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:12:39 +0000

Heroin is popular among high school and college grads. According to the Monitoring The Future study, 1.3% of the 8th grade students abused heroin in their past lifetime, and .8% in the past year, and .4% in the past month. The percentages were much higher in the 10th and 12th grads. These alarming numbers tells the need for active heroin drug testing at schools, colleges, and other places to deter the drug abuse.

Heroin drug test is usually conducted to identify the presence of its drug metabolites in a body. The presence of the drug can be monitored by different types of tests suitable to the convenience of test administration.

Urine Drug Testing:

Urine drug testing is the most common method used for drug detection. It is less expensive when compared to other tests. The cut off level for this is 300ng/mL. The detection period of the drug is 2-4 days. This test strip gives positive result if the drug in the urine specimen exceeds the cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

Hair Drug Testing:

Hair drug testing is not the common method used for drug testing. It is expensive when compared to the Urine Drug Testing. This test can be used to detect substance use for a long period of time, but it cannot detect drug abuse within past one week. The cut off level for this test is 0.1ng/mL. It takes several months to detect the drug. This test gives positive result if the drug in the hair specimen exceeds cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

Saliva Drug Testing:

Saliva drug testing test is also not the common method. This test can detect more recent use of the drug and it is very easy to administer but it is still more expensive than Urine Drug Testing. The cut off level for this test is 40ng/mL. It takes some weeks to detect the drug. This test gives positive result when the drug in the saliva specimen exceeds cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

With increase in use of Heroin, concerns on health of abusers and effects on the society are growing. Parents should observe their children’s habits in order to reduce the usage of drugs. For tracing these two drugs one should select appropriate method of drug testing which gives accurate test results.

Hair follicle drug test and urine drug test can be countered by Test Clear

drugtest — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:50:47 +0000

Now every companies including governmental and private are organizing a drug test before recruiting their employees. It has become everybody known factor that a drug test and passing out of that drug test is very much mandatory for getting a job. However according to the recent surveys it is seen the maximum number of people found positive to drugs are under the age group of 26-34 years and next to that comes the age group of youth around 21-25 years. Therefore this can easily be considered as a very good reason behind the decision of the employers of several companies to conduct drug test on their employees.

This is a very good reason too that whenever you apply for a job you are asked to go through a drug test. And only when you pass it with a clean cheat you can go for the rest of the procedures of your employment. There are various methods of drug testing too. As for example; the urine test, saliva test, hair follicle test, etc. among these the most common is the urine test in which the urine sample is collected from the candidate and either tested with the help of a panel kit or is send to the laboratory for detailed examination. Urine test is the most common and the most popular testing procedure as it is far more accurate and is less time consuming. Therefore now before you want to apply for a job, get prepared for your drug test also.

If you take a hair follicle drug test then you need to buy one thing which can make your problem solved as that has to make the follicles without any trace of drug. You have to prepare for your corporate drug testing and therefore you have to take something trustworthy. Test clear is the name of your requirements. Test clear provides you two shampoos which are very dependable and surely solve your problem with the help of these two you can clear your drug test. The first product is Clear Choice Shampoo. It is a shampoo and a purifier in one bottle. Clear Choice shampoo is ideal for corporate drug testing of the hair because it provides an eight hour Clear Zone. The term Clear Zone refers to the layer of protection that this product creates. This very term refers to the layer which protects you from being detected. It is kind of protection layer. You can shower you hair in the morning before the drug test and then on the same day you can go for the drug test. It is for sure that you will pass the test. It is guaranteed. It is effective for any length of hair and it helps your hair follicles to get rid of any kind of drug toxins. Another product is Nexxus Aloe Rid shampoo. Nexxus Aloe Rid is the ideal compliment to Clear Choice, and it is also the best product for individuals facing random corporate drug testing. It is so far the best product for the people who face the corporate drug test of hair follicle randomly.

Advantages of Hair Drug Testing Over Urine Drug Testing

drugtest — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:17:43 +0000

Urine analysis as a drug test is the most common method to detect and confirm any suspicion of individuals under drug influence. Urine drug testing is trusted in institutions in both the public and the private sector. However, newer technology like oral sample drug tests and hair drug testing presents advantages for employers, parents, or anyone who is interested and concerned about their loved ones.

Hair Drugs Tests Detect Longer

The time detection rate of hair drug tests is longer. In fact, scientists have discovered drug used in Chilean and Peruvian mummies dating back to 1000 B.C. Therefore, there is a lot of information that can be stored in our hair. An illegal drugs abuser with the prior knowledge of drug testing can abstain for three days to two weeks before submitting to a urine drug tests. With urine drug tests, these violators go away scot-free.

With hair drug testing, detection rate can go up to three months or 90 days. That is why more employers are turning to hair drug test for this reason alone. Employers do not care about applicants using drugs now as much as the pattern or history of drug use. Most importantly, hair drug testers can accurately give a timeline of the violators drug use. Hair drug testing is fundamentally more relevant in the work place.

Hair Drug Tests have no risk of Adulteration

Adulteration or switching urine samples prior to a drug test is one of the common methods to escape a positive reading. Usually, a “clean” friend donates his urine sample to the drug user so that he can be accepted into a job. This method is also used in violators who are applying for a driver’s license.

However, hair samples are hard to switch. Hair drug testers can easily pluck a hair strand from an individual. In comparison with urine drug testing where the extracting a sample should be done privately, hair drug testing is a non-intrusive and non-embarrassing method in taking samples for drug tests.

At the same time, hair drug tests can be done without the knowledge of the person being tested. A hair follicle sample can be taken from a hair brush or a comb. This is most useful for parents who want to avoid asking their children to take a urine drug tests. With this method, teenage drug abusers won’t know if they are being tested.

Cost Effective

With the different advantages of hair drug testing, employers and company looks at cost efficiency to justify the use of hair sample drug testing. While it is more expensive than traditional drug tests, the accuracy and detection range of hair drug tests prevents greater costs associated with impaired or delinquent workers. Hair drug testing promises cost efficiency in the long run while ensuring a more robust, dynamic and drug-free workforce.