Oral fluid drug testing

Oral Fluid Drug Testing: A

Simple Solution for a Complex World

Guest Speaker:

Ben Agee Oral Fluid Scientist, Keystone Laboratory

Moderator:

Kendra McCardle Business Relationship Director for Wolfe, Inc.

“Never underestimate the power of a simple tool.”

- Craig Bruce

ORAL FLUID DRUG TESTING: A SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR A COMPLEX WORLD

“WOLFE WORDS” Adulterated – made impure by

adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients

Neat Sample – a sample obtained by expectorating (spitting) rather than through a medium such as a pad or

buffer

Metabolite – a product of metabolic action

Substituted – any sample not produced by the donor

A “neat” oral fluid sample is the best method of collection for the highest percentage of drug recovery. -SAMHSA Proposed Revisions to Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs

Sample Collection is the Key Not all samples are equal (even the best drug test is only as good as the specimen)

No buffers No diluents

No pads

Less non-productive time for donors and collectors

Ideal for onsite

collecting Totally

observable

No donor privacy

concerns Less set-up

time

Dual gender observations

No “shy bladder”

issues

Saves time and productivity

Reduces the likelihood of possible

adulteration/substitution

Ideal for post-accident testing, pre-employment testing, random testing

and reasonable suspicion testing

Only a 5 step collection process

If the donor does not have

to leave the facility

Fast, easy and convenient sample collection

Premium Oral Fluid Collector

Minimal setup time

Dual gender

observation No “shy

bladder”

75,400 websites have advice on beating urine-based screening - Google

Dilute

Adulterated Substituted

Oral fluid drug testing can detect current drug use. The window of detection in

oral fluid drug testing is 12-24 hours.

Oral Fluid is great for:

For Cause Post Accident

Random Tests

Return to Duty

Pre-Employment

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug

• is the primary compound and psychoactive ingredient in marijuana

• (parent) is the most prevalent marijuana compound in saliva

• becomes very sticky when warm and tends to cling to porous surfaces

• is the most difficult drug to recover in oral fluid testing

Δ9-THC

“The recovery of Δ9-THC from devices with absorbing components is a problem. The recovery of Δ9-THC is not as good as that of other analytes due to the absorption of Δ9 THC to the plastic and the absorptive compounds of the device.”

*Langel, K., C. Engblom, et al. (2008). "Drug testing in oral fluid-evaluation of sample collection devices." Journal of Analytical Toxicology 32(6): 393-401.

Inadequate Recovery Δ9-THC in Collection Devices

* Sample collection is fast and easy

* No pads, no buffers and no diluents to affect sample integrity

* Unaltered sample for maximum recovery

* Glass is a better collection container vs. plastic for THC recovery and screening accuracy

Premium Oral Fluid Collector

Equally important is a device with a sample volume indicator

-SAMHSA Proposed Revisions To Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs

Without an

Indicator

No objective way to

measure sample volume

Large variations are problematic

to get quantitative results for

drug recovery

Collected sample volume can vary from

18-83%

� Accurate sample volumes are necessary to ensure accurate results

� Easy to read fill line ensures sufficient sample volume

� Decreases rejections for insufficient quantity

Premium Oral Fluid Collector

� Δ9-THC � Cocaine � Opiates � PCP � Amphetamine � Methamphetamine � MDMA (Ecstasy)

� Oral fluid specimens

accounted for only 5%

of collected samples

in 2009

�We project that by

2016 approximately

20% (over 20

million) of all

collected specimens

will be oral fluid

samples

Reproduced from A Five Year Analysis of Oral Fluid Drug Testing Results from a MRO Data Source, 2003-2007; Walsh, J.M., et al., 2008 Society of Forensic Toxicology National Meeting and data collected from the field in 9/09. Data is conservative and only shows one MRO source. 2009 data point from personal communication with J.M.Walsh.

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

3000000

3500000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Oral Fluid Trends

� 75%+ of drug users have jobs �There are between 10 million and 12 million drug users in the

workplace � It is estimated businesses lose between $129 billion and $180

billion per year due to productivity losses to drug use �Drug users are 33% less productive than their co-workers, and

on average cost their employers between $7,000 and $15,000 annually U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration website; Safety and Health Topics, Workplace Substance Abuse.

Calculating Savings for Higher Positive Rates

� Easy to collect

� Difficult to adulterate

�Better indicator of recent drug use

Featured Presenter Ben Agee Oral Fluid Scientist, Keystone Laboratory Ben is the resident Oral Fluid scientist for Keystone Laboratory in Asheville, NC. He graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in Biology.

Contact Ben directly at 1.800.230.2991 or at [email protected]

Wolfe, Inc 1.800.230.2991

[email protected] www.WolfeInc.com