Drugs of abuse / Alcohol

TDL offers a number of profiles for drugs of abuse and alcohol, as well as testing for individual drugs.
 

Testing process

Samples submitted for analysis will undergo initial screening. Urinary creatinine is routinely measured during testing to verify the validity of the sample submitted. Creatinine levels below normal occur when the urine has been diluted, either directly or by drinking large amounts of water before providing the urine sample. Chain of custody containers, forms, seals and barcodes are provided by TDL on request.

All Chain of Custody, and non-chain, samples with positive findings will proceed to identification/confirmation by Gas Chromotography/Mass Spectrometry.
 

Chain of custody

Chain of custody refers to the system of controls governing the entire urine collection, processing and storage of the sample. It ensures that a particular urine specimen originated from a particular individual, and that the reported results relate, beyond doubt, to that specimen.

Chain of custody requires attention to detail so that it is possible to prove that there has been no opportunity for the sample to be accidentally or maliciously adulterated. Sample collection should be undertaken by collectors who are well versed in the protocols of chain of custody.