FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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The information found on this webpage can help answer many common questions and assist you in managing a substance abuse testing program. The questions listed here are constantly updated, expanded, and refined to ensure that you have access to the very latest information. Begin by browsing the list of questions below, If you need further information please contact us by email at: info@lumiquick.com. 

A: There are many situations where an individual may be required to provide a drug or alcohol test to fulfill a legal requirement that they are or will remain free from illegal substance use or alcohol abuse:

• A doctor may request a urine drug screen if they think that a person has been using illegal drugs or misusing prescription drugs.
• Pre-employment drug screening test or random, work-related drug testing to identify on-the-job drug abuse.
• An emergency services staff member may request a urine drug screen if they suspect that a person is behaving strangely or dangerously due to the influence of drugs.
• College or professional athletic drug testing.
• Post-accident drug testing - a vehicular or on-the-job accident which may have involved human error and resulted in casualties or property damage.
• Safety-related drug testing - if an employee's job could lead to safety issues if judgement or physical ability were impaired.
• Drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs may request urine drug screens to check whether a person is staying sober.
• Prison officials also require these tests of people with histories of drug abuse.
• With probation drug testing, a drug court, probation officer, or parole officer may require drug testing if it’s uncertain that an individual will maintain their sobriety, as a part of a criminal sentencing agreement.  

A: Urine is the most common sample type for drug and alcohol testing. Simple and practical to obtain, it offers short-term drug abuse profiling. Urine samples are most used to detect recent illegal and therapeutic drug use. It is considered non-intrusive and sample collection is not observed. 

Oral fluid (saliva) testing is the second most common method to test for drug use. One advantage of saliva testing is the ready availability of saliva specimens and the packaging for onsite testing.

A: A urinalysis will show the presence of a drug in the system after the drug effects have worn off; however, the length of time varies by drug. 

The length of time during which different licit and illicit substances or their metabolites can be detected in urine samples depends on many interacting factors, including:

• Chemical properties (e.g., half-life) of the selected drugs
• Metabolism rates and excretion routes
• Amount, administration route, frequency, and chronicity of the dose consumed
• Sensitivity and specificity of the assay
• Individual variations in clients' physical health, exercise, diet, weight, gender, and fluid intake that affect excretion rates

Most substances of abuse can be detected for approximately 2 to 4 days. However, the higher the dose taken and the more frequently the substance has been used over an extended time, the more likely that it will be detected. Although substances are excreted at various rates, they accumulate in the body with continued use. Whereas a single use of cocaine may be detectable in urine for only a day or less, continued daily use is likely to be detectable for 2 to 3 days following its discontinuation. Chronic use of such drugs as marijuana, PCP, and benzodiazepines may be detectable for up to 30 days, whereas alcohol remains in the system for 24 hours or less. 

Realistically, it may be difficult to detect illicit substances in most clients who stop all use for several days before a drug screen. An accurate profile of a client's substance use over more than a few days requires both urine test results and a good retrospective history.

A: Most saliva drug tests can detect usage within a few hours up to 2 days. The donor should avoid any food or beverages for at least 10 minutes prior to the sample being collected.

For alcohol, saliva is correlated closely with blood concentrations 2 hours after consumption. However, routes of drug administration that contaminate the oral cavity can change the pH levels of saliva. 

However, the short time window for detecting substances limits the effectiveness of this method to ascertaining only recent drug use (e.g., for accident investigations and for pilots or other employees about to engage in safety-sensitive activities). 

Most substances disappear from both blood and saliva within 12 to 24 hours of use; cannabinoids may be detectable for only 4 to 10 hours after marijuana is smoked.

A: Overall studies indicated that extreme secondhand smoke exposure can produce positive tests at lower cutoff concentrations, but not generally at the cutoff concentration in general use by SAMHSA's Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. 

A: Urine drug screens use cut-off levels. This means that a result will only be positive if the amount of the drug is above a certain level.

The amount of the drug will appear on results in nanograms per milliliter: ng/mL.

Having cut-off levels helps prevent false-positive results. These can occur when a person has not taken an illegal drug, but they have eaten food containing a legal amount of hemp, coca, or opium.

For a complete list of Components and its Cut-Off:  CLICK HERE

A: Yes, the most common adulterants screened include oxidizing agents – such as, nitrites, chromates and halogens (e.g., bleach and iodine). 

Methods to adulterate urine samples for substance abuse testing generally fall into three categories: 

• Urine substitution. The substitution of one's own urine sample with one which is clean is a common practice.
• Ingestion of fluids or compounds for flushing out the system, diluting the sample, or interfering with the testing process 
• Direct addition of adulterants to the urine specimen itself. 

A: The most common way to combat this practice is to have the sample’s temperature tested immediately after being collected. 

LQ Quick Profile™ DOA cup provides a validator to verify the temperature of freshly collected urine. 

A visible green indicator shows the temperature detected and indicates the specimen is in a normal temperature range. Conversely, if no green indicator appears within the temperature strip, the temperature is either lower or higher the normal temperature range (90°F-100°F / 32°C-38°C).

In addition, with LumiQuick Drug Adulteration Strips, we can help ensure the integrity of the test by measuring pH, creatinine, specific gravity, Nitrite and other common adulterants that may be added to the urine specimen.