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Urine Drug Testing Facts - Everything You Need to Know

 

 
 

Drug testing or Drug screening is a procedure carried to analyze presence or absence of drugs and their metabolites in an individual’s system with specificity, sensitivity and accuracy. The biological samples often used are urine, blood, saliva, hair, breath or sweat.

Drug tests are mostly done for legal purposes, for instance test for driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, testing as part of legal probation, employment condition where drug use is either illegal or dangerous, and athletes who may use performance-enhancing drugs.

Circumstances that may require drug testing:

  • Pre-employment drug testing, random testing, work-related drug testing to identify workplace drug abuse.
  • College or professional athletic drug testing.
  • Post-accident drug testing — occurrence of workplace or vehicular accident due to human error, resulting in property damage or casualties.
  • Safety-related drug testing — if an employee’s job could lead to safety issues if judgment or physical ability were impaired.

Drug testing is most often performed when applying for job, especially for positions that may involve bus drivers, trucker drivers, railways, hospitals, federal transportation, airline industries and pilots, and other workplaces where safety of the public is of utmost importance. However, workplace drug testing is widely used by many US Employers to lessen the impact from drug abuse, safety concerns and low productivity.

Different factors that depend in drug test to detect a specific drug:

  • The drug itself (drug class, particular type, etc.)
  • How much of the drug a person has ingested
  • How frequently the person has used the drug
  • Drug test type being used
  • Other factors like person’s age, overall health, weight, metabolism, etc.

In addition, drug tests may also look for presence of the specific drugs with shorter detection windows. Drug metabolites can be found in the system longer than the actual chemical substance itself.

Maximum detection window for different drugs of abuse:

All of these detection times are variable. It is not assured that one will beat the drug test by waiting out the maximum length of time described above. In some cases, the detection period for a drug may be longer, and in other cases may be shorter.

Urine is the most commonly used sample type for drug testing. Urinalysis will detect the presence of a drug in the system after the drug effects have worn off. The length of time varies depending on the drugs. Urine test is the only method approved for the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey in collaboration with the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), 57% of employers conduct drug tests on every single job candidate. The most commonly used method is urine drug test.

Urine drug testing is not only quick and affordable, but offers plenty of options with different drug testing panels. An employer can decide on the exact drug testing panel for the business.

Urine drug testing is the most frequently used drug test sample type because of its proven methodology and the wide range of drug panels. Urine drug testing is most flexible and customizable to detect recent drug use.

Urine drug testing is authentic and flexible for most testing reasons, whether testing is done for pre-employment, random, follow-up, etc.

Urine testing detects the following drugs: amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine, barbiturates, marijuana, MDMA (ecstasy), opiates, oxycodone, methadone, phencyclidine (PCP) and propoxyphene, synthetic cannabinoids (K2/Spice) and synthetic stimulants (Bath Salts). The most commonly requested urine drug test is the 5-panel test that detects the presence of amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and PCP.

Urine drug testing detects recent drug use in the last 24 to 72 hours. Drug detection in urine can vary according to the drug, the amount of drug ingested, and an individual’s biology.

Urine drug testing sample requires a minimum of 30 mL of urine (45 mL according to US Department of Transportation) collected in the privacy of a restroom. A collected urine specimen is poured into a bottle that is sealed with tamper-evident tape. The specimen and completed Custody and Control Form (CCF) are sent to certified laboratory for testing.

While urine test is the most commonly used drug testing method, it is not foolproof. Donors may try to beat a urine drug test by adulterating their sample, adding contaminants or even trying to substitute another person’s urine for their own during the collection. Labs do specimen validity testing to ensure the integrity of a urine specimen and filter out cheating attempts. Routine procedures like measuring pH, creatinine and specific gravity help to identify results not consistent with human urine.

Agencies categorized as “safety-sensitive” perform regulated urine drug tests because of the potential influence of their job on public safety. Safety-sensitive workplaces are classified under the Health and Human Services (HHS), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) testing authority, are part of one of the agencies under the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The collection process of a regulated urine test is guided by the DOT’s requirements outlined in 49 CFR Part 40.

With instant drug tests, negative urine drug test results are obtained the same day. It is easy to get instant urine drug testing through one of the US Drug Test Centers and they utilize 6-panel drug test and 10-panel drug test for substances including amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and opiates.

Instant drug tests are a huge asset to employers since it provides immediate results if concerned about employees working under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Drug testing programs designed to filter out drug users/abusers and deter drug use in the workplace. Urine testing methodology also helps to mitigate potential risks by screening out job applicants and employees who use drugs.

 

Originally published at https://www.drugtestpanels.com on August 10, 2020.

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