What To Know About Drug Testing Brisbane

By Olivia Cross


There are several situations in which checking for drugs in a person is necessary. A drug test is the technical analysis of biological specimens in order to determine if there is the absence or presence of specific drugs or metabolites. This may be done using samples of sweat, saliva, breath, blood, hair and urine. Those living in Australia may be interested in options for drug testing Brisbane.

Sometimes testing is done to check for performance-enhancing steroids in athletes. An employer might choose to test potential or current employees for illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Many times police officers will perform alcohol tests to determine the presence and concentration of this within an individual. BAC is the term used to describe the content amount and tests done to check this involve application of a breathalyzer. Urinalysis is typically assigned for workplace or sports testing purposes.

Many different drugs might be detected through the process. There are certain windows of detection that might be based on certain things, such as: frequency of use, metabolic rate, age, amount taken, drug class, body mass, urine pH and overall health. The time of detection for metabolites is often longer than the parent drug. For example, heroin and cocaine are only detected through the system for a few hours after they have been used, but the metabolites might stay in urine for days.

Oral fluid and saliva test results are similar to those done by blood, although there are some exceptions. Using breath air could also mimic the results of a blood test. In general, most hair tests have long detection windows, typically between 2 and 90 days.

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.

Hair analysis is more commonly used in the court systems. These are generally considered admissible evidence by legal and scientific parameters. A range of drugs can be tested through hair samples, including amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis and newer drugs like mephedrone.

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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