How Drug Tests Are Done

 

A drug test is usually described as a technical scrutiny of a specimen derived from a biological species. This is in order to confirm the availability or the absence of a certain drug. The specimens usually include things such as hair, blood, urine and other bodily excretions like sweat. This test is mostly carried out on sports people so as to check the presence or absence of certain drugs which enhance and elevate their athletic performance. Drug testing is also known as screening.

 

This test is also carried out in other areas such as in organizations by employers to employees. This is so as to ensure that they are not under the influence of some drug that would negatively impact their performance at work. Another area where drug tests are majorly carried out are in the probation of law enforcement officers. This is also so as to ensure that they are not intoxicated with drugs that are prohibited by the law.  Check out this website at http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/07/29/drug-use-impacts-blue-collar-workforce.cnn to know more about drug test.

 

There are different methods undertaken in the carrying out of a drug test. The first requirement is usually that sample or samples are collected and taken to a testing lab. The lab attendant or technician must be careful to observe that the tamper-evident seal is not broken or damaged. In the case where the seal is broken, the lab technician has the right to reject the sample provided and ask for another one. Some bodily excrements such as urine can be tested as they are or in some tests or the drugs can be required to be extracted from the urine., learn more here!

 

There is usually a special preparation done on some samples such as hair strands and blood before the actual testing or screening is done. For instance, the hair is usually washed in case it has other drug contaminants on its surface. In the case of the blood, the blood plasma is usually separated from the rest of the blood cells before the testing is done. With the sweat samples, which are usually absorbed in sweat patches, the sweat patches are dipped into a special liquid which dissolves any traces of drugs present in the sweat.

 

Testing of drugs in the laboratory is usually done in two different Rapid Detect tests. The first test is known as the screening test. The other test is called the confirmation test which is carried out using advanced methods. The second test is only done to samples that test positive of drugs in the first test. If the second test is positive of the drugs then the sample is passed off as drug positive and the amount of drug content determined.