In the past drug testing was a complicated and drawn out process That involved invasive techniques that were only suitable for testing on a small scale. They weren’t suitable for testing large groups of people. What’s more is that the test results were often incorrect, which resulted in situations where inaccurate results were relied on to make important decisions.
Today, more modern technology has come up with more accurate and precise drug testing methods. This is because science can now better understand how chemical substances effect the human body. Currently the drug testing services available utilize multiple tests with varying degrees of sensitivity to drugs and alcohol. They can determine not just the substance taken, but the amount that was taken as well.
Both improved tests and more modern on site drug testing st louis services use modern equipment and devices to conduct more precise tests outside of a laboratory environment. Now employers can conduct tests for drugs and alcohol in their environment and ship them out for results. The samples can be sent over long distances to be tested and there is no risk of incorrect results.
Below we have outlined the most common testing techniques:
Urine Testing
For this method a sample of the person being tested urine is required. This method can detect drugs, alcohol and their metabolites. This method is highly accurate. That being said, privacy is needed for the collection of samples. It is easy for a person to switch their sample with the sample of someone they know will come back clean.
Oral Fluid Testing
This is a highly functional and convenient way to test for drugs and alcohol. This method involves you getting a sample of the person being tested saliva. A sample can be collected with a cheek swab. The swab can be done fast and when stored properly there is no risk of contamination. The sample can be collected in public which minimizes the risk of someone switching samples.
Blood Testing
Blood testing provides the most accurate test results of all the methods of collection. That being said, it is the most complicated of the methods to get a sample. This method has to have a trained technician for collection.
Future of Drug Testing
In the future you can expect that drug testing will become quicker and less invasive. It will also become more accurate. The use of cloud computing will make it possible to reduce the time needed to analyze samples and get results. New sophisticated equipment will help detect the presence of drugs or alcohol in very small quantities using sweat or hair.