Urine Drug Testing Information
A urine drug screen is used to detect the presence of drugs, both legal and illegal, in an individual's system. The tests are most commonly used in employment scenarios, including preemployment qualifying and postaccident screening, or for legal purposes, such as probationary monitoring.
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How the Test Is Performed
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To obtain a clean substance, the urine must be a "clean-catch" sample, meaning the urine is caught in the cup midstream. Individuals first must clean their private areas, men using an alcohol wipe on the head of the penis, and women a soap and water wash and rinse between the lips of the vagina. Generally, a collection of one to two ounces of urine is sufficient for testing purposes.
Testing Categories
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Generally in the United States, the following drug classes are those identified most often by test detection:
cannabinoids, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, phencyclidine, methadone, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or Ecstasy. -
Laboratory Evaluation
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Following collection, the urine sample is sent to a testing lab that performs an immunoassay to discover the presence of specific drugs. If the urine drug screen is positive, then a confirmation test using a gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) method is performed. This ensures the test results are not a false positive.
Detection Levels
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Under federal guidelines, the immunoassay must reveal a drug presence above predefined detection levels to be reported as present on the drug screen results. Drug presence traces that fall below those guidelines will result in test results that are negative.
Results
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After evaluation by the laboratory, the test results indicate either normal or abnormal results. Abnormal test results means one of the specified drugs was detected in the individual's urine and is indicative of drug use. If abnormal results are detected, repeat testing may be performed, but that is generally at the discretion of the group or individual requesting the analysis.
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