A drug test cutoff level determines the levels at which a given amount of illicit drugs would be considered positive for drug testing. Drug testing cutoff levels are measured in Nanograms per Milliliter (ng/ml). Drug test cutoff levels aid drug-testing measures by preventing false positives from occurring, such as a positive identified for abusing cocaine based on consumption of poppy seeds.
Under the Federal Guidelines, there are two cutoff levels for positive detection of drugs. The first cutoff level is used to determine the initial screening result, followed by the second cutoff level used for the confirmatory tests. For instance, the initial screening for cocaine metabolites must contain at least 150 ng/ml, and the second confirmatory test should show at least 100ng/ml. Initial screening for drugs is performed either using immunoassay or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
A confirmation test is required if the drug metabolite level is tested above the initial screening cutoff level. Confirmation tests employ either "gas chromatography-mass spectrometry" (GC/MS) or "liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry" (LC/MS) to eliminate false positives or false negatives. The drug test cutoff levels for workplace drug testing and the U.S. Department of transportation are established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its drug regulatory agency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Checkout the drug test cutoff levels for Hair, Urine, Nail & DOT tests.
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