What is a 5-panel Drug Test
A 5-Panel drug these, analyzes 5 basic drugs that are in a person’s system. The test as a screening method designed to test for five specific drugs. The test is done for various reasons, ranging from pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, random testing, individual testing, post-accident and many other reasons. It is a very simple test that can provide accurate results.
The test can be done using many biological samples like urine, hair and saliva. Each of these samples have different retention timeframes of the drugs. Hence, the test requirements are what drives the kind of sample used.
Why do employers require drug tests
5-panel Drug testing was initiated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1980 as a standard for drug testing for companies whose employees perform safety sensitive jobs.
Drug Testing helps employers keep a productive and safe working environment. In many ways it assists assist employers help employees with their addiction and provide them assistance for recovery.
The 5-panel drug test has been used by many organizations as a standard test as it provides clarity in the effectiveness of the drugs in the human body. Although THC is approved in many states some organizations choose not to test for the drug and some do.
Drug testing beyond the 5-panel test is adopted by other organizations that require a more comprehensive analysis of the potential of a drug in a person’s body.
Detected ‘windows’ In A 5-Panel Drug Test
Different Drugs provide a different window of detection, and the type of test performed.
Urine detects drugs between 3 days – 30 days depending on the drug that is being tested.
Hair has a long detection window of 90 days.
Saliva detection varies with the type of drug being tested and ranges from 24 – 72 hours.
Different Types Of 5-Panel Drug Tests: Urine, Saliva & More
The urine drug test is the most common method for administering a 5-panel drug test. The test is non-invasive and significantly less costly. The results are reliable.
- Detection Window:Generally, up to a few days after drug use.
A saliva drug test is even less invasive than a urine drug test. The results are also instantaneous and used in accident scenarios, and results requiring quick turnaround time.
- Detection Window: The time frame for detection is around 24 – 28 hours after a person has used drugs.
Hair follicle tests can detect drug used for testing long term drug users. The test van show presence of drug up to 9-0 days after consumption of the drug. The test takes a sample of a person’s hair at the root level and tests it for the drugs that the person might have consumed.
- Detection Window:Up to 90 days or longer, depending on hair length.
Administering a 5-panel drug test
The collection of as -panel drug depending on what process is used is done by a trained technician and the process of collecting the sample depends on the type of sample being collected.
Urine drug tests collect a sample of the person’s urine which can be one sample or 2 samples depending on the regulations that determine the sample requirements.
Hair requires a root level sample that has enough quantity for the test to be valid. The condition of the hair is also critical and can be determined by a trained technician.
Saliva samples are collected from the person’s month and a swab of the cheek. It is analyzed using specific equipment that will provide immediate indication on the type of drug present, or no drug is present.
Results of the test are indicated by cut-off thresholds levels. There are industry standard and defined thresholds that determine levels above or below threshold levels for each test. This will indicate if the person has or does not have drugs in their system.
Why is it important to Employers to perform Drug Tests?
Organization Safety & Pre-Employment
The most frequent need of a drug test is for pre-employment drug testing. This helps employers keep their organization a productive and safe working environment. It also helps organization that are regulated, demonstrate to the regulatory bodies that they are diligent with keeping a safe working environment and safe sensitive duty performance.
Court and Legal Requirements
Courts and legal systems can mandate drug testing for those who are recovering from drug use and determining sobriety. Some organizations are required by law to comply with regulations due to work safety issues. These organization must prove random testing for employees at determined times in the year. Criminal cases, depending on the kind of case may require individuals to be drug tested. Examples are drug testing in custody cases, accident cases and counseling cases.
Personal Testing
There are times when individuals conduct drug testing to monitor their compliance or parents needing to monitor under aged individuals for potential drug use. This is more a pre-active, peace of mind process and can be very valuable to intercept the use of drugs early in the process.
Advantages of 5-panel drug test
5-Panel drug tests have several benefits:
- It is cost effective
- It is easy to administer but recommendation is it be conducted by a trained technician.
- The level of accuracy of the results are high.
- It is regularly used in courts of law and organizations.
- Results can be obtained very quickly reducing delays in decision making,
Limitations in 5-Panel Drug testing
Although 5-Panel drug testing is well accepted as an industry standard testing process, the method and handling of the collection and distribution of the samples if critical.
There is a potential of False positives and False negatives if the process and chain of control is not followed.
Individuals sometimes are concerned about privacy concerns that can produce complications. There is also a potential of discrimination is the results are not kept confidential within the requesting organization. Once results are released to the requesting organization from the laboratory, it is imperative that the results are kept confidential for use of the appropriate people within the organization. This avoids the discrimination of individuals who own the results.
SmarTest Labs, A CLIA accredited organization can provide you with guidance on the necessary tests. We conduct our tests under the strict regulatory requirements and Chain of Custody.
Call us at 301-686-8566 or email us at contact@smartestlabs.com
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