Newsletter : AlcoPro

It depends on how much the person had to drink, and how long ago they drank. Alcohol is eliminated at the constant rate of about .015% BAC per hour, which is about one drink an hour. If a person had only one drink, the maximum intoxication they might have would be about .02%. Within one hour, their alcohol level would be about zero. On the other hand, if a person had an alcohol level of .20%, twice the legal limit for drunk driving in most states, it would take over 13 hours for their alcohol level to reach zero after they stopped drinking. Breath alcohol testers measure blood alcohol level, which is a measure of actual intoxication. Therefore, a person who is not intoxicated has no alcohol in the blood, and a breath alcohol test will give a negative result. It seems that some people have the mistaken impression that alcohol stays in the system for a long time, as marijuana does. In fact, alcohol in the blood, and a breath alcohol test will give a negative result.

Will mouthwash interfere with the results of a breath alcohol test?

Proper test procedure requires that the subject have nothing in their mouth for 10 to 15 minutes prior to testing. If the subject has anything with alcohol in their mouth just prior to testing, the alcohol in their mouth will contaminate the test, giving an artificially high reading. However, 15 minutes is sufficient time for all mouth alcohol to be dissipated.

Are there ways to fool a drug test or breath alcohol test?

It is a little easier to fool a drug test than a breath alcohol test. Proper test procedure should eliminate the possibilities of a subject switching their urine specimen with another, or tampering with the specimen. Drinking large volumes of water will dilute the urine, thereby reducing the concentrations of drugs in the urine. The detection of some drugs, such as amphetamines, is affected by the pH of the urine with some kinds of methodologies. A properly administered breath alcohol test is difficult to fool. As long as the subject delivers an adequate deep lung breath, there is virtually no way to mask the alcohol. A subject who claims that their positive breath alcohol test is the result of mouthwash or cough syrup use may be asked to retake the breath alcohol test in 15 minutes. This is more than sufficient time for the remnants of alcohol in the mouth to dissipate. A second positive breath alcohol test after 15 minutes cannot be attributed to mouthwash or cough syrup.

"An employee refused to take an alcohol test at work. Can we fire him?"

An employer may set reasonable standards for employment relating to drug and alcohol abuse. A well thought out drug and alcohol policy will include the consequences of refusing to take an alcohol test, which may include termination. Requiring an employee to submit to a drug or alcohol test, without previously informing the employee of the consequences of refusing the test, puts a company in a position which may be hard to defend.

"Our program has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol; our clients are not to have any alcohol at all. Should a client be discharged for an alcohol level of .008% BAC?"

A reading of .008% BAC on any instrument might be difficult to defend. If the test was conducted on an instrument using a fuel cell sensor, a .008 reading would raise a strong suspicion of the presence of alcohol. Fuel cells are specific for alcohol and are capable of low readings. However, historically breath alcohol test results have been reported only to the hundredth (.01) of a percent. Law enforcement agencies, for example, report only the first two digits of results; any reading below .010, such as .008, would be treated as zero.

What is an evidential breath alcohol test? Do we need to use the same kind of breath alcohol tester that our local police department uses in order for test results to hold up in court.

An evidential breath alcohol tester is defined as being listed on the DOT Conforming Products List of Evidential Breath Measurement Devices. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates breath alcohol testers to determine if they meet their standards of accuracy, which is +/- 5%.

There are very specific rules that each law enforcement agency must follow when testing for drunk driving, and these rules specify the brands of breath alcohol testers which may be used and the protocol for performing the test. However, these rules apply only to law enforcement agencies and only when testing for drunk driving. Therefore, an agency or a company does not need to use the same brand of breath alcohol testers as their police department for evidential testing. And if they follow the guidelines for evidential quality testing, they can expect to successfully defend their test results.

Is it legal to test employees for drugs and alcohol?

The answer to this question is a qualified "yes." There is no federal law prohibiting drug or alcohol testing of employees. Some states have rules which address this issue. In general, a company may conduct drug and alcohol testing under certain circumstances, such as for reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use, after offering a job to an applicant and after an accident. A company exposes themselves to liability if they conduct drug and alcohol testing without first having communicated their written policy which spells out the procedures they will follow, and the consequences to employees for positive tests, etc.

How accurate are drug screening kits which you can perform yourself?

The general range of accuracy is about 95%, which is considered quite good. All drug screening kits have received approval from the FDA. To gain FDA approval, the manufacturer must demonstrate through their own clinical trials that their drug kits work adequately. All manufacturers of screening kits state that positive results from their kits should be confirmed by a laboratory, preferably with GAS Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS).

How long after ingesting drugs can the drug use be detected with a urine drug screen test? How soon after using drugs can a urine drug screen detect the drug?

It depends on the drug used and the amount of drug used. The outer limit of detection for the commonly abused drugs is anywhere from two days for some barbiturates, to over a month for heavy, chronic marijuana use. The soonest that drugs can be detected also depends on the specific drug. Amphetamines and cocaine, for example, may be detected less than an hour after ingestion.

The retention times below are only general guidelines. Physical condition, fluid intake, and method and frequency of drug ingestion all influence the time drugs stay in the body.

Drug	Retention Times
Amphetamines	1 - 3 days
Barbiturates	1 day to three weeks
Benzodiazepines	1 - 14 days
Cocaine	2 - 4 days
Opiates	2 days
Marijuana	Moderate (4 x week) 5 days or more Heavy, Chronic smoker 20 days or more

Is there an easy-to-use breath or saliva test available for drugs?

When we refer to "drugs", we mean any drug of abuse other than alcohol. At the end of 1998 Avitar introduced OralScreen, a saliva test for drugs. Another excellent saliva test is the Oratect manufactured by Branan Medical. This is currently the only commercially available on-site saliva drug testing kit. Other companies are developing laboratory-based methods for analyzing saliva for drugs. We expect to see more saliva based drug testing kits in the next few years.
There are no kits that test for drugs using a person's breath.

Will exposure to passive marijuana smoke result in a positive marijuana test?

Perhaps the most common excuse subjects give to explain their positive marijuana test might be, "I was around some people who were smoking pot." Research has shown, however, that casual exposure to marijuana smoke will not produce a positive test. A person really has to work at being exposed to "passive" smoke to create a positive test. Very close confinement without ventilation with several smokers for a period of over an hour may result in a low, but measurable amount of marijuana.

Will eating poppy seeds on a roll or in bread result in positive opiate test?

It depends on the poppy seeds. Evidently some poppy seeds are more potent than others, and eating just one or two rolls containing potent poppy seeds may result in a positive opiate test. But other rolls containing less potent poppy seeds may have no effect on a drug test. New confirmation procedures are being discussed that will be able to discern between drugs such as heroin and poppy seeds, therefore eliminating the possibility that poppy seeds could cause a positive test.

As a parent can I purchase Drug Testing kits to test my children?

Drug Testing Kits for Professional Use Only

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the sale of drug testing kits. Currently, all the kits offered in our catalog and on our web site are cleared by the FDA for professional use only. The FDA has another category of clearance, called Over the Counter, or OTC, which must be obtained before selling drug testing kits directly to the public. We hope to have a version of our CheckPoint drug testing kit with OTC clearance that we can offer directly to parents and other consumers within six (6) months. Until that time, parents must obtain our drug testing kits from their counselors, therapists, and physicians. Please contact us if you need more information about this issue.

What is a "passive" alcohol test?

Passive alcohol tests measure alcohol in the air, which may come from an open beer can or the exhaled breath of an intoxicated person. Passive alcohol testing instruments use a fan to pull in the air to be measured for alcohol.

Is there a difference in performing a passive test and a direct breath alcohol test?

When performing a direct breath alcohol test, the subject blows directly into the testing instrument using a mouthpiece. When performing a passive test, the device is held in front of the subject as they are talking, or they are asked to blow at the device. No mouthpiece is used with a passive device.

Does a passive alcohol test measure how intoxicated a person is?

No. Passive devices indicate that alcohol is present in a person's breath. Experienced operators can make estimates of intoxication levels using passive test results. But only a direct breath alcohol test, in which the subject blows directly into an instrument, can accurately determine a person's alcohol level.

As a parent can I purchase drug testing kits to test my children?

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the sale of drug testing kits. All drug testing kits on the Alcopro.com web site are cleared by the FDA for professional use only. The FDA prohibits the sale of professional-use kits directly to consumers.
Please go to our consumer web site, www.SubstanceAbuseTest.com, to order our Home Drug Test Kits which are FDA cleared for sale directly to individuals for home use.