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Q:
What is a preliminary test?
A:
A preliminary test is a single test result based on an initial screen.
Q:
What is a confirmation test?
A:
A confirmation test is a second test which offers a more specific
chemical method for the detection of the desired substance. The
preferred confirmation method is gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
(GC/MS).
Q:
Why is a confirmation test necessary?
A:
The purpose of a confirmation test is to eliminate any false positive
results that may have originated from an initial screening.
Q:
What is adulteration?
A:
Attempts to adulterate urine drug tests can occur in three ways:
dilution, substitution, or interference.
Q: What
is the NIDA 5 panel?
A:
The NIDA 5 (National Institute on Drug Abuse) panel consists of
tests for amphetamines, cocaine, morphine (heroin), PCP, and THC
(marijuana).
Q: Can
eating poppy seeds cause a false positive drug test for heroin?
A:
Eating poppy seeds cannot turn a drug test positive for heroin.
However, poppy seeds do contain morphine. Therefore, eating poppy
seeds (e.g., a poppy seed bagel) can result in a "true"
positive result for opiates, more specifically, morphine. At the
new cutoff levels required by the federal government in testing
for opiates and the subsequent search for a metabolite that is exclusive
to heroin called 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM) during the confirmation
testing phase, it is very unlikely a false positive for heroin will
occur.
Q: Can
passive inhalation of marijuana cause a false positive drug test?
A:
Sometimes employees who test positive for marijuana will claim it
was the result of passive inhalation - "I was at a party last
night and other people were smoking dope, not me. But I think I
inhaled some of the smoke." The likelihood that an individual
would inhale enough marijuana smoke to produce a positive drug test
result at the cutoff levels currently observed by most drug testing
labs (50 ng/mL) is virtually nonexistent. The person may have some
traces of the drug in his system but not enough to register positive
at a cutoff level of 50 ng/mL
Q: Can
over-the-counter cold medications cause false positives?
A:
Here's another reason why companies should only test with labs that
guarantee the use of GC/MS confirmation. Some over-the-counter (OTC)
medications can turn an initial screen for amphetamine positive
because of the structural similarities between the various OTC drugs
and amphetamine. However, these OTC drugs will not interfere with
the GC/MS confirmation.
Q: What
is ecstasy?
A:
MDMA, often known on the streets as "ecstasy" or "Adam,"
is structurally similar to methamphetamine. MDMA stimulates the
central nervous system and produces hallucinogenic effects. In order
for a drug test to detect ecstasy, it must be able to detect MDMA.
Q: What
can an employer do if an employee tests positive?
A:
An employer can offer treatment assistance to an employee who tests
positive. This can be as simple as a listing of local or national
providers or as comprehensive as an employee assistance program
(EAP) or health care benefits that offer drug treatment.
Q: What
are drug detection periods?
A:
The average amount of time that certain drugs tend to stay in a
person's system is referred to as the drug detection period. Refer
to Approximate
duration of detectablity of selected drugs in urine for some
examples of approximate guidelines.
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