Welcome to Drug Testing Essentials

A comprehensive guide to understanding key terms, procedures, and best practices in drug testing.

Whether you're an employer, medical professional, or individual seeking clarity, this guide will help you navigate the essential aspects of drug testing.

Specimen and Collection Terms

Adulterated Specimen: A sample that has been tampered with or contains foreign substances to cheat a drug test.
Accession Number: A unique identifier assigned to each specimen for tracking and record-keeping.
Collection Container: A sterile container used for gathering urine, saliva, or other body fluids for drug testing.
Collection Site: A designated location where a donor provides a specimen under controlled conditions.
Collector: A trained professional responsible for supervising specimen collection and ensuring Chain of Custody documentation is properly maintained.
Chain of Custody (COC): A documented process that tracks the handling, storage, and transfer of a specimen from collection to final disposal, ensuring integrity and accuracy.

Additional Terms:

Substituted Specimen: A sample replaced with another liquid to cheat a drug test.
Temperature Strip: A feature on urine collection cups that verifies the sample is at body temperature.
Split Specimen: A sample divided into two containers to allow for retesting if needed.

Testing Procedures and Devices

Alcohol Confirmation Test: A follow-up test using an Evidential Breath Testing (EBT) device to confirm alcohol concentration for initial results of 0.02 or higher.
Alcohol Screening Device (ASD): A device approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to detect alcohol in breath or saliva.
Breath Alcohol Technician (BAT): A trained professional certified to operate breath alcohol testing devices.
Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC): The amount of alcohol detected in a person’s breath, measured as a percentage.
Confirmation Test: A secondary, highly specific test used to confirm the presence of a substance following an initial positive screening.
GC/MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry): A gold-standard laboratory method for identifying specific drugs and their metabolites.

Additional Testing Methods:

Immunoassay (IA): A common initial drug screening test that detects the presence of drugs in a sample.
LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry): An advanced, highly sensitive drug testing method used for confirmatory analysis.
Point-of-Care Testing (POCT): Instant or rapid drug tests performed on-site, providing immediate results.

Test Results and Interpretation

Cutoff Level: The minimum drug concentration required to produce a positive test result.
Diluted Specimen: A sample with an unusually high water content, possibly due to excessive fluid intake.
Negative Dilute Result: A diluted sample that does not contain detectable levels of drugs.
Positive Test Result: A confirmed presence of drugs or their metabolites in a specimen following laboratory analysis.
Invalid Result: A test result that cannot be interpreted due to sample contamination or errors in collection.
Refusal to Test: A situation in which an individual refuses to provide a specimen or tampers with the test, often treated as a positive result.

Professional Roles and Organizations

Medical Review Officer (MRO): A licensed physician who reviews and interprets drug test results, ensuring accuracy and verifying any legitimate medical explanations for positive findings.
Substance Abuse Professional (SAP): A specialist who evaluates individuals who violate drug and alcohol testing policies and recommends appropriate treatment or education programs.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): A government agency that sets drug testing guidelines and regulates laboratories.

Additional Key Organizations:

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): Establishes workplace safety regulations, including drug testing policies for certain industries.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration): Regulates the approval of drug testing devices and methodologies.

Regulatory Bodies and Standards

DOT (Department of Transportation): Governs drug and alcohol testing regulations for transportation and safety-sensitive industries.
CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments): Establishes quality standards for laboratory testing.
HHS (Department of Health and Human Services): Oversees regulatory guidelines and policies related to drug testing in federal workplaces.

Industry Compliance:

Employer Drug Testing Policies: Employers should align with federal, state, and industry regulations when implementing workplace drug testing programs.
State-Specific Regulations: Drug testing laws may vary by state, so it’s important to stay informed about local legal requirements.

Your Guide to Drug Testing

This guide serves as your go-to resource for understanding drug testing terminology, specimen handling, test interpretation, and industry regulations. Having a solid grasp of these concepts ensures fair, reliable, and legally compliant drug testing practices.

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Drug Testing Essentials: Key Terms, Procedures & Compliance