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What information does a drug test offer?
A drug test consists of usually a five-or nine-panel screen which detects the presence of specific drugs in the urine specimen. The amount detected does not define when or how much of the drug was ingested by the urine donor.
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Is it possible for a person to fail a test due to secondary inhalation?
No. Each drug tested has a mandatory cut-off level in accordance with DOT and state regulations. This protects against errors in drug detection and reporting.
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What does a hair test involve? What is its retention/detection time?
A sample is collected preferably from the head and sent to the laboratory to screen for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and phencyclidine (PCP). These drugs have the same cutoff levels as DOT urine drug screens. Hair screens test as early as 90 days prior to the test (minus a two week recent abuse window).
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What are the types of tests conducted?
The types of tests include but are not limited to pre-employment, random, probable cause testing, post-accident, return-to-duty and follow-up testing. |
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What does the term "SAMHSA" mean?
SAMHSA means Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.
DOT screens may only be performed at a SAMHSA-certified laboratory. These labs follow strict quality assurance and control protocol to monitor each step of the testing process. It is AHSI's practice to utilize these labs for non-DOT testing also.
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How reliable are drug tests?
SAMHSA-certified labs are highly reliable. They are equipped to confirm urinalysis via GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry), the most reliable and accurate test. |
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What is the difference in DOT drug screens and non-DOT drug screens?
A DOT drug screen is federally mandated and tests for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, and amphetamines. If found positive, the employee is immediately removed from a safety-sensitive position. A non-DOT drug screen is not federally mandated. Companies may test for the five drugs plus barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone, and propoxyphene. Employees found positive are subject to their company's drug testing policy and penalties.
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Can a person pass a urine test through substitution or adulteration?
With today’s chain-of-custody collection techniques, undetected adulteration is highly unlikely. In addition, SAMHSA-certified labs test each specimen for aduterants using advanced and highly sensitive techniques.
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