Drug testing experts are subject matter experts who can analyze various samples of drugs, detect specific analytes, or identify contaminants in biological samples. A drug test is a specialized analysis of a specific biological sample, such as saliva, blood, urine, hair, breath, eye, and blood/plasma–to identify the existence or absence of specific parent compounds or their derivatives. It is used by forensic doctors, toxicologists, chemists, nurses, pharmacy technicians, security personnel, employers, educators, regulatory agencies, public health professionals, and patients to help establish the validity of reported drug use. Different types of these tests may be used. For instance, a hair test will detect presence of substances in hair that is not visible to the naked eye. Likewise, an eye test will determine if a drug user has been injecting steroids in secret.
Why Needs To Be Done Drug Testing?
A drug tester’s performance is assessed through strict regulations set forth by several U.S. federal agencies and several European Union member states. These regulations were created to protect the integrity of drug testing procedures, maintain accuracy of results, prevent scientific misconduct, encourage objective and reliable scientific communication, and to protect drug testing subjects from undue fear, intimidation, and harassment. The EPA, FDA, and several states also provide for certain post-marketing controls to protect the public from the possibility of serious adverse health effects caused by drug exposure. However, these regulations do not apply to testing conducted by drug testing experts, or to samples collected for the purpose of drug testing by anyone other than the subject himself or herself.
It is up to drug testing experts to ensure that their tests are reliable and consistent. They must be able to provide a detailed report detailing the collected sample. The report should include a description of the methods utilized for analyzing the sample, a summary of the data collected and analyzed, analysis results, and recommendations as to how the sample should be stored or disseminated. Drug testing experts play an important role in ensuring that the collection, analysis, administration, and distribution of drugs are conducting with adequate care and diligence to ensure validity of results. By holding themselves out to be highly reputable and well-respected in the field of drug testing, they can help ensure that drug testing procedures comply with the regulatory requirements set forth by the Food and Drug Administration and European Union.