Since hair growth is fed by the bloodstream, the ingestion of drugs of abuse is revealed by analyzing a small sample of hair. Germaine Laboratories testing method measures the drug molecules embedded inside the hair shaft, eliminating external contamination as a source of a positive test result.

Hair analysis provides a greater challenge to the donor who wants to avoid detection. Hair cannot be replaced with someone else's hair. The collector takes the hair directly from the applicant and the sample is never out of sight. The donor cannot eat or drink anything that will dilute a hair sample. Hair testing results cannot be altered with shampoos, bleaches, or other external chemicals.

A standard screen covers a period of approximately 90 days. Because of this, hair testing is not an appropriate method for post-accident or reasonable suspicion testing. Urine or oral fluid testing combined with breath, saliva, or blood alcohol specimen is recommended for this type of testing.

The U.S. Institute of Justice has identified hair testing as an extremely useful tool in probation supervision. Hair testing at the time of intake into probation has been demonstrated to identify far more drug abusers than urine, and is more effective in assuring abstinence and identifying drug abusers in need of closer supervision.

A standard screen with GC/MS confirmation requires approximately 120 strands of hair.

The primary differences are:

1. Hair testing offers a wider window of detection (up to 90 days).
2. Hair can not be adulterated, substituted, or tampered with as can urine.

In side-by-side comparison studies with urinalysis, hair drug testing has uncovered significantly more drug use. In two independent studies, hair drug testing uncovered 4 to 8 times as many drug users as urinalysis.

We are able to provide testing services throughout the United States by utilizing our network of independent collection sites. Specimens can be collected and sent to our central laboratory for processing or the collection site can run our AimScreen™ or SafeCup™ screening devices. Results can be delivered directly from our clinic/lab or you may choose to use our Medical Review Officer (MRO) to review your test results and then provide them to you electronically.

Yes, many companies are moving to the use of instant on-site products because the instant product can provide negative results in a matter of minutes, thus eliminating the 24-48 hour wait time in making your hiring decision.

For the employer:

1. These tests can be administered at the job site.
2. It's a simple process with a lower total cost.
3. Job applicants and employees can go to work immediately.
4. Fewer workmans comp claims and accidents.
5. Reduced workmans comp insurance fees.
6. Less absenteeism and tardiness. 

For the employee:

1. Confidence among employees for the safety of the workplace.
2. Increased morale.
3. Productivity increases.

The donor actively swabs the inside of the mouth and the top of the tongue.

Saliva and blood have similar detection windows. Testing saliva/blood will detect drug use faster than testing urine. Saliva/blood may detect drug ingestion immediately while drug detection in urine may take 6-8 hours post-ingestion.

Everyone can benefit from the use of oral fluid tests, as the cost and inconvenience of urine collections are eliminated. Pre-employment tests can be administered in the Human Resource Office with the results available within ten minutes. A hiring decision can be made at that point, saving the company time in the hiring process.

It is virtually impossible to adulterate an oral fluid test.

Yes. A drink of water may be given to the donor. It is best to wait for about 10 minutes after the drink before attempting another collection.

Amphetamine, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Opiates, Marijuana, and Phencyclidine. 

Test / Calibrator Cut-off:

• Amphetamine (AMP) / d-Amphetamine 50 ng/mL
• Cocaine (COC) / Benzoylecgonine 20 ng/mL
• Methamphetamine (mAMP) / d-Methamphetamine 50 ng/mL
• Opiates (OPI) / Morphine 40 ng/mL
• Marijuana (THC) / THC-COOH 12 ng/mL
• Phencyclidine (PCP) / Phencyclidine 10 ng/mL

The oral fluids test is based on competitive binding. Drugs that may be present in the oral fluid specimen compete against their respective drug conjugate for binding sites on their specific antibody. During testing, a portion of the oral fluid sample migrates across the membrane. If no drug is present above the cutoff, the sample will not saturate the binding sites of its specific antibody. The antibody will then react with the drug-protein conjugate, and a visible colored line will show up in the test line region. The presence of a drug above the cut-off concentration will saturate all the binding sites of the antibody and a line will not form in the test region. The lateral flow is the migration and competition across the membrane.

A control line will be present if the test is working properly. If a control line does not appear, repeat the test. Insufficient specimen volume or incorrect procedural techniques are most likely the reasons for control line failure. Review the procedure and repeat the test using a new device.

Healthy women (with normal cycles) usually ovulate every month. Stress, poor diet, and age affect your menstrual cycle, which may result in lack of ovulation.

Ovulation typically occurs about 11-14 days before your next period.

From the NCHS, the leading methods of contraception among U.S. women were:

• 18% - Female sterilization
• 17% - The pill
• 13% - Condoms
• 7% - Male sterilization

hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), is a hormone released by the placenta during your pregnancy. Home pregnancy tests will detect it through your urine. Our pregnancy tests can detect levels of 20mIU/mL of hCG in urine. Since levels of 25mIU/mL of hCG have been observed as early as 3 to 4 days after implantation, hCG may be detected before a missed menses. A blood serum test from your doctor can detect as little as 0.5 of hCG in your bloodstream.

HCG levels can be detected as early as 1 day after a missed menses. Since levels of 25 mIU/mL of hCG have been observed as early as 3 to 4 days after implantation, hCG may be detected before a missed menses.

A blood test is usually considered more accurate, but the technology used in our urine tests is very reliable. A lot depends on the lab. A quantitative blood test, usually called a beta hCG test, measures the exact units of hCG in the blood. That means it will detect even the most minimal level. Remember that having a hCG positive test does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. Detectable levels of hCG may remain several weeks after natural terminations, therapeutic terminations, and normal pregnancies. There is another type of blood test sometimes called a qualitative hCG. This is a test that simply gives a yes or no answer to whether you are pregnant. Just like urine tests, labs vary as to what is considered a positive pregnancy test. Common cutoffs for positive are 5, 10, and 25 units. A test that is only triggered at 25 units of hCG is not any more sensitive than several of the urine HPTs.

For the employer:

1. These tests can be administered at the job site.
2. It's a simple process with a lower total cost.
3. Job applicants and employees can go to work immediately.
4. Fewer workmans comp claims and accidents.
5. Reduced workmans comp insurance fees.
6. Less absenteeism and tardiness.

For the employee:

1. Confidence among employees for the safety of the workplace.
2. Increased morale.
3. Productivity increases.

Substitution of "clean" urine for one's own is difficult when the urine collection is observed, however, some creative donors go to great lengths to cover-up their drug use. Lifelike male prosthetics that dispense smuggled urine can be purchased and females can insert tubes containing clean urine sealed with cellophane into their body cavity that can be pierced to release the "clean" urine. Some donors have even introduced another person’s urine into their own bladder by injection or catheterization. More commonly, when the collection is not observed, donors smuggle a hidden container of clean urine into the collection room. Checking the urine temperature immediately after collection indicates substitution when the counterfeit sample has not been brought to body temperature. Compounding the matter, guaranteed drug-free urine can be readily purchased on the Internet.

Yes, it is possible for a drug test to be positive for alcohol as a result of diabetes. Individuals who suffer from diabetes commonly exhibit renal malfunction that results in an excessive amount of glucose and protein in their urine. In the presence of yeast or bacteria, urinary glucose can be converted to alcohol by fermentation. Thus, a person with diabetes and who has a urinary tract infection might have alcohol in their urine in spite of an absence of alcohol consumption. A laboratory should test every specimen that is positive for alcohol for the presence of glucose and report the results of the test. When glucose is detected it is possible that the alcohol is a result of urinary glucose fermentation and not consumption. In the absence of the test for glucose or for bacteria, a simple procedure should be employed to test for fermentation; leave the specimen at room temperature for several hours and retest it. If the level increases, the specimen is undergoing fermentation. It is possible (although unusual) that the glucose is completely consumed by fermentation. This usually results in an extremely high urine alcohol level (>1%), pressurization of the specimen container, and the smell of yeast. Urine specimens that exhibit an alcohol level of greater than 0.5% should be checked for evidence of fermentation.

The designation that a particular laboratory is "certified" assures the client that the laboratory adheres to specific quality standards set by the certifying body. Each of the three primary certifying agencies listed below has its own set of standards. Certification has a defined time limit and usually is granted for one or two years. Certification and recertification require an on-site inspection of the laboratory by an inspection team. There is no legal requirement that a laboratory be certified, as long as it does not perform medical or federally-mandated testing. While some laboratories carry multiple certifications, there are a number of labs doing business which are not certified by any agency. It is the purchaser of drug testing services who may require a particular certification to assure competency. The three primary certifying bodies are CLIA, SAMHSA, and CAP. Their important characteristics are listed below.

CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988)

1. Inspections are performed every two years by an agency approved by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
2. Certification is mandated for all laboratories performing medical tests.
3. There are no special requirements for chain of custody procedures.
4. No review of confirmation test procedures.

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

1. Inspections are performed two times per year by a SAMHSA inspection team.
2. Certification is required for federally mandated urine drug testing programs.
3. Chain of custody and security requirements are imposed.
4. There are strict rules for the interpretation of results and the actions to be taken when donors test positive.
5. Certification is limited to only five drugs (amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, THC, and PCP).

CAP-FUDT (College of American Pathologists Forensic Urine Drug Testing)

1. The program was established jointly by the College of American Pathologists and the American Association of Clinical Chemistry.
2. Certification is voluntary.
3. CAP inspections are performed every two years and self-inspections are performed annually. 4. Collection, chain-of-custody, and quality assurance guidelines are required in the standards.
4. Exemplary laboratories may receive certification with distinction.

Selecting the Best Fit Laboratory

If your drug testing program falls under federal rules, you must use a SAMHSA certified laboratory. If some form of official action might be initiated, results must be legally defensible and, therefore, either SAMHSA or CAP-FUDT are recommended. If testing is to involve more than the five federally mandated drugs, SAMHSA alone will not suffice. If the interpretation of results is to be limited to medical decision making, any CLIA certified laboratory may be appropriate. All purchasers of laboratory services should demand some form of certification to assure acceptable standards of accuracy.

Yes, Germaine Laboratories, Inc. will supply the correct collection kits, forms, and labels you or your collection facility will need. These are very important for ensuring the integrity of the sample and documenting the chain-of-custody during collection and transport to the laboratory.

Results for specimens that test negative by the screening test are available within 24 hours after specimen collection. Results for specimens that test positive by the screening test and are then tested by GC/MS are typically available 24-48 hours after screening.

Urine specimens should be collected in the containers provided by the laboratory if you will be shipping for laboratory analysis or laboratory confirmation. After collection, the specimen should be stored in a secure area until shipped to the laboratory for analysis or confirmation. Germaine Laboratories, Inc. provides specimen collection/AimScreen™ & SafeCup™ training on our website for our registered customers. Call the Customer Service Department for details.

No. If you are running the test within a few hours of collection, refrigeration is not necessary. Refrigeration retards the growth of bacteria in the urine that over time in a non-refrigerated state can grow and cause the specimen not to wick as well. A non-refrigerated specimen would never cause a false positive when testing for DOA.

You or the collection facility will be provided with airbills/shipping supplies and a phone number of the overnight courier company for transportation to the laboratory.

When using AimScreen™ or SafeCup™ instant screens:

SafeCup™ is now available with built in tests for Creatinine, pH, specific gravity, bleach, and oxidants. Germaine Laboratories, Inc. also offers these same parameters in a dip test that can be used with our AimScreen™ product line. 

When submitting specimens to the laboratory for analysis:

Inspection of the urine specimen when received helps to identify adulterated samples. Strong odors such as liquid soap, bleach, ammonia, or vinegar are usually detectable when the specimen container is opened. Appearance (e.g., abnormal color, foaming, residue) is a good indicator of many chemical adulterants. To confirm adulteration, the laboratory measures creatinine, pH, and specific gravity. The use of other tests may be indicated, depending on the sample, to detect adulterants such as nitrite or other oxidants.

All urine specimens are initially tested by a screening test called an immunoassay. The immunoassays we use are extremely accurate and the best available. Specimens that test positive by immunoassay are then further tested by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).* GC/MS is the gold standard in substance abuse testing. It incorporates two powerful instruments, the gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer, and is more specific and sensitive than the screening test. GC/MS results are definitive. Positive screening-test results that are confirmed by GC/MS are reported to the client as true positives. Positive results not confirmed by GC/MS are reported as negative. Negative screening-test results are reported to the client as negative and not tested by GC/MS for confirmation.

Yes. From its records, the laboratory can prepare a litigation package or similar materials if needed by the client for legal or disciplinary purposes. In addition, qualified experts from the laboratory are available to testify in court proceedings to clarify or support the laboratory documentation.

No. Passive inhalation of marijuana smoke can result in absorption of THC in the body, but THC levels from non-smokers were not high enough to cause a positive result using the current screening and confirmation cutoff levels mandated by SAMHSA. These levels are 50 ng/mL cutoff for the screen and 15 ng/mL for the GC/MS confirmation test.

Germaine Laboratories, Inc. provides AimScreen™ on-site screens that can test for Ecstasy (MDMA) or Oxycodone. The results are available in 3-5 minutes and are easily read. Refer to our Product Catalog to order AimScreen™ or SafeCup™ products.