Saliva Testing
Nationwide Mouth Swab Drug Test
A mouth swab drug test is the best method for determining current alcohol or drug use. This test can be administered at an accident site or any other emergency scene to determine substance use before the blood levels go down.
Time Frame Tested
Our mouth swab drug test can tell you whether an individual has been consuming a specific substance in the past 24 to 48 hours. This is a crucial window of time during the initial part of an investigation into an accident or emergency.
The level of intoxication must be determined on the spot so officers can make decisions regarding arrests or detaining a suspect.
For more information or to schedule a test, contact our office.
Turnaround for Mouth Swab Drug Test
One of the best features of a saliva test is that it produces results within minutes. This is considered a preliminary result, but it can be used to make law enforcement decisions that require “reasonable suspicion.”
The on-the-spot results are accurate enough to make an arrest, but probably not accurate enough obtain a conviction in a case.
Mouth Swab Drug Test
Any positive result means we send the sample to the lab for further testing. Our saliva lab drug test can give much more accurate results. This is considered an extremely reliable test when performed by a professional lab.
Chain of Custody
Note that the lab test requires that the sample be transferred from the emergency scene to the lab. ReliaLab understand the details of chain of custody, and we document each step of the transfer and processing of the sample.
This ensures that your case will hold up in court, at least as far as the testing is concerned. You are not likely to have a case dismissed because of a broken chain of custody, unless that break occurred before we received custody of the sample.
Other Alcohol Testing Options
Breath Alcohol Test
The breath test is often administered by an officer on the scene, but we can be called to the scene to administer one as well. We have a mobile team that will conduct the test as soon as possible after an occurrence where alcohol intoxication is suspected. Note that this test can be conducted at our lab as well.
The breath test is accurate for determining alcohol consumption within the last 12 to 24 hours. It is not appropriate for determining habitual use.
The suspect breathes into a mouthpiece, and our breathalyzer provides an evaluation of how much alcohol is present. Because alcohol spreads through the body quickly and is distributed in equal amounts in each organ, the lungs contain alcohol. That alcohol is transferred to the breath when breathing out. The amount of alcohol in the breath is used to estimate the amount of alcohol in the blood.
Our devices are approved by the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition, the test is given by a trained breath alcohol technician.
Urine Alcohol Test
A urine test can provide a broader view of alcohol use because it determines the amount of alcohol that has been used in the past 80 hours. This can be useful in proving negligence, because it indicates sustained intoxication.
This is considered an extremely accurate test. It is hard to cheat on this one, because the giving of samples is supervised.
Blood Alcohol Test
Blood alcohol testing measures the amount of alcohol in the blood, making it the most direct alcohol test. This one is often preferred by courts, because there is no estimation involved in determining blood alcohol levels.
Note that we keep the sample in case it must be retested. Sometimes a defense attorney or judge will request a second test to compare to the first. We maintain the sample in pristine condition just for that purpose.
We can draw the sample at the scene of the emergency or in our lab. We maintain the chain of custody and document it.
EtG Test
This test looks for ethyl glucuronide, a byproduct of ethanol (the substance in all alcohol drinks). We can test either hair or urine to find this substance.
The advantage of this test is that it can tell you if someone has ingested alcohol in the past 80 days. It does not tell you how much alcohol was consumed.
An EtG hair test can determine whether alcohol has been consumed for the past 90 days. This test is not useful for determining one-time use.
The Bottom Line for a Mouth Swab Drug Test
A mouth swab drug test can be supplemented with other types of tests to give a more complete picture of an individual’s substance use. Consider ordering a variety of tests to make your evidence more comprehensive.
However, a mouth swab drug test is also a good stand-alone method. It is easy to administer, and the results are fairly fast to obtain. Getting a sample takes a matter of seconds, and it is not intrusive. This makes it a good choice for testing.
Alcohol continues to be a danger for automobile drivers, equipment operators, those charged with making quick decisions (such as air traffic controllers), and anyone who has authority that can affect lives.
Let ReliaLab be your partner in fighting fatalities and injury by identifying impairment and removing impaired individuals from high-risk activities with our top-quality mouth swab drug tests.
