Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Basics Regarding Drug Testing Brisbane

By Olivia Cross


Varying situations may call for the testing for drugs in a person. A drug test is the analysis of biological samples to check for the absence or presence of metabolites or their parent drugs. This might be done using different specimens taken from a person, including: saliva, sweat, urine, breath, blood or hair samples. Drug testing Brisbane is available through many sources for those living in this area of Australia.

Testing may be done to check for performance-enhancing steroids in athletes. Employers might screen potential or current employees to check for presence of drugs that are prohibited by laws, commonly heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Police officers are known to test for presence of alcohol, as well as the concentration of it within the system or BAC. Most BAC tests are given through breathalyzer, but urinalysis is most common for the workplace or in sports.

A number of drugs are detectable through this process. There are detection windows that are based on numerous factors, including: drug class, frequency of usage, body mass, urine pH, metabolic rate, overall health, amount taken, and age. The period of detection for metabolites are generally longer than that of the drug itself. For instance, cocaine and heroin are only detectable through this for a few hours after the use, but metabolites can stay in the urine for days.

Saliva and oral fluid test results are similar to that of blood, with a couple exceptions. Breath air can also mimic accuracy of blood tests. Generally speaking, most hair tests have a long detection period of days, usually between 2 and 90.

Urine tests can be used to screen for parent drugs and metabolites. These determine if they are present within the system, not to what degree or length of time. This is the usual approach used by employers who wan to screen their employees. Often they are sent to a collection lab where a sample is taken. It is important that samples are guarded to make sure there is no tampering or other interruptions that could alter the accuracy of the results.

Analysis of the hair is commonly done by the court systems. This is recognized as legally and scientifically admissible evidence. Numerous drugs can be tested through samples of hair, including cannabis, cocaine, ephedrine and amphetamines.

Presumptive substance testing is also available. This is often available through over-the-counter kits and does not require professional labs. It involves using materials, surfaces or substances to detect trace amounts of illegal substances. This can be done rather than testing the biological specimen of a person. To perform this, the suspicious material is mixed with a chemical. If the response is a certain color change, drugs are considered present.

This form of testing is beneficial in that the person suspected of drug use does not need to be aware that this is being done. Furthermore, only a small piece of material is needed. These tests are only done for screening and provide non-specific results. Still, they can detect a wide range of drugs. It is important to utilize professional testers and labs to get specific and accurate results for all drug testing.




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