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Results are available one to two days after the sample is received in the laboratory.

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Requested sample volume is 5 milliliters.

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BloodStat^SM identifies usage over a one- to two-day period.

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Please use only purple, gray and green top tubes.

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No.

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Recent studies have indicated that low-level positive EtG results can be produced by certain agents like hand sanitizers and mouth wash.  The PEthStat^SM blood assay is an ideal tool to define low-level positive EtG results.  The volume of alcohol required to trigger a positive PEth result is far above the level available from incidental exposure.

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USDTL offers standard 5-, 7-, 9- and 12-drug panels in breast milk.

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Requested sample volume is 10 milliliters collected in a sterile container.

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Results will be provided in two to three days after the sample is received in the laboratory.

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No, the sample may be shipped ambient.

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CordStat^SM uses 6 inches to 8 inches of umbilical cord tissue.

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Negatives are kept for one week, and positives are kept for one year.

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Negatives are reported within one working day and positives within two working days of receipt into the laboratory.

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No, CordStat^SM has not been validated for tissues that have been fixed in formalin.

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CordStat^SM uses a 6-inch to 8-inch segment of umbilical cord tissue.

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Dose/response studies have not been performed and will most likely never be performed for ethical reasons. However, when compared to meconium, which has a detection window of up to 20 weeks, CordStat^SM has demonstrated an agreement greater than 90 percent.

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The fetus generates umbilical cord during the first five weeks.

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Yes, umbilical cord tissue has been used to provide evidence of drug use by the mother and the interpretation held on appeal to the SC Supreme Court.

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Room temperature for seven days and refrigerated up to three weeks.

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USDTL’s CordStat^SM is groundbreaking in newborn testing because it solves six problems with meconium testing:

• Methamphetamine sensitivity is much greater with umbilical cord than meconium.
• Every newborn has an umbilical cord; meconium is not available for every birth.
• There is plenty of umbilical cord specimen for each newborn, while up to 22 percent of meconium specimens are rejected due to insufficient quantity.
• Umbilical cord collection is a one-step procedure; meconium collection requires cumulative collections.
• CordStat^SM improves the integrity of the chain-of-custody: only one donor and one collector are present during the collection. Meconium has multiple donors, multiple collections and multiple collectors.
• CordStat^SM improves turnaround time because umbilical cord is ready for transport a few minutes after the birth, while meconium passages can be delayed for days before being sent to the lab.

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Once a drug is incorporated into hair, it begins to slowly leach out due to normal daily hygiene and exposure to the elements. Most drugs have disappeared by three months. Furthermore, the laboratory only analyzes the first 1.5 inches (3.9 centimeters) nearest the scalp. Hair grows at an average rate of 0.5 inches per month.

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Body hair has a different growth cycle compared to head hair. Body hair may go dormant and remain in place up to one year. A positive result reflects exposure up to 12 months.

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Yes, drugs are incorporated into hair by three major routes: environmental exposure, sweat and sebum from the scalp and blood flow through the follicle. Environmental exposure however will only generate a positive for the parent drug. Example: methamphetamine only. The other two mechanisms lay down drug and drug metabolites. Example: amphetamine/methamphetamine positive.

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Yes. Bleaching, perming, dyeing and straightening can affect the outcome of a hair test. Cosmetically treated hair should not be collected.

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No. Hair is a reservoir matrix, where drugs can collect and/or degrade over time. When testing any reservoir matrix, you are unable to back-track and determine time, dosage or frequency because there are simply too many variables involved.

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The only interpretation that can come from a positive hair test is that the individual used or was exposed to drug during the three months prior to collection.

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Hair color, not race, is one of the most important variables in determining the quantity of drug found in the hair. Dark hair binds drug tighter than light hair.

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No. The results of any second collected specimen have absolutely no bearing on the validity of the results of the first collected specimen. Furthermore, each matrix has its own advantages, disadvantages and limits of interpretation.

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ChildGuard^SM is a modified hair drug test designed to increase environmental exposure detection in children. The assay is often used by social service agencies involved in custody cases.

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MecStat^SM EtOH is a test of the non-oxidative metabolites of Ethyl Alcohol called Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEE). These metabolites are the chemical combination for endogenous fatty acids present in the blood of a fetus and Ethyl Alcohol. These new compounds, which only form when the fetus is exposed to Ethyl Alcohol, are deposited into the fetus’s meconium and can then be detected and quantified from the newborn’s meconium after delivery. The amount of the Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters found in the meconium is representative of the amount of Ethyl Alcohol the fetus was exposed to during the last half of the pregnancy.

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Yes, MecStat^SM 5-, 7-, 9- and 12-drug panels can all be bundled with MecStat^SM EtOH.

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Yes and No. Many physicians know about the test from scientific publications and literature from USDTL. There are, however, many physicians that are not yet knowledgeable about the test and have never ordered it. If your local physicians don’t have the necessary information to order the test, call Client Services at 1-800-235-2367 and the scientific information will be supplied.

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Results from MecStat^SM EtOH tests give DHS personnel direct information about newborns who have been exposed to high levels of Ethyl Alcohol. Approximately 3 percent of all newborns have been exposed to high levels of alcohol and these newborns’ meconium specimens have FAEE levels greater than 10,000 ng/gram. This “red flag” level represents only one quarter of the total number of alcohol exposed newborns. Three quarters of alcohol exposed newborns were exposed to small or moderate amounts of alcohol and represent lower risks of manifesting signs and symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The newborns with FAEE levels greater than 10,000 are at higher risk for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, as well as a higher probability of living in a chaotic environment where abuse or neglect is more likely.

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NIDA (The National Institute on Drug Abuse) actually is NOT the institute that funded the original research for FAEE in meconium. It was the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) that provided USDTL with the grant funds to develop the MecStat^SM EtOH test. This test has become the de facto standard for laboratory diagnosis of fetal alcohol exposure and is in routine use all over the United States and Canada. Courts have held that MecStat^SM EtOH tests meet both the Fry and Daubert standards, and the results are admissible in adversarial proceedings.

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When ordered as MecStat^SM EtOH only, the cost is $129.00. When ordered bundled with the MecStat^SM 5-drug panel, the total cost is $149.00. For hospitals with large specimen loads, volume discounts are available.

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Screen negative results will be transmitted to your secure fax on the same day on which the laboratory receives the sample.  Screen positive results will be confirmed using a separate technique and reported 2-3 business days after specimen receipt.

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A minimum of 2 grams of meconium (a teaspoon) is normally required, although some tests, such as "confirmatory tests only" can be performed with less. However, for best results, we recommend collection of the entire passage of meconium until the milk stool appears.

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Meconium begins to form in weeks 16 through 20 of gestation. Therefore, depending on the gestational age of the newborn, a complete collection of meconium will represent approximately 20 weeks of maternal drug use history.

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Based on two research studies reported in peer-reviewed literature, the total FAEE levels in excess of 10,000 ng/g show significant ethanol exposure in the newborn.

(Moore C, Jones J, Lewis D, Buchi K. Prevalence of fatty acid ethyl esters in meconium specimens. Clin Chem 2003;49(1):133-136)

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Yes.  Meconium results, when determined using two separate, validated laboratory procedures based on different scientific principles, are forensically defensible.  Our laboratory procedures have been scrutinized by laboratory inspectors, and our test results have been upheld in court.

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Meta-hydroxybenzoylecgonine (m-OH-BZE) is a metabolite of cocaine which is often present in the meconium of neonates born to cocaine-using mothers. It is a minor metabolite in adults, but it has been identified as the only cocaine metabolite present in 23 percent of meconium samples screening positively for cocaine. If a laboratory does not include m-OH-BZE in its confirmation profile, there is a risk of not identifying up to 23 percent of cocaine exposed newborns.

Lewis D, Moore C, Becker J, Leikin J. Prevalence of meta-hydroxybenzoylecgonine (m-OH-BZE) in meconium samples. Bulletin of the lnt.Ass.Forens Toxicol 1995;25(3):33-36

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Drugs and metabolites are stable in meconium for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. However, refrigerated or freezer storage is preferred.  Alcohol metabolites, specifically FAEE, are sensitive to heat and light and therefore the PREFERRED shipping method is frozen on dry ice. Since this method is both difficult and expensive, most institutions send at room temperature and realize that the FAEE concentrations may be reduced. USDTL accepts specimens that are shipped at room temperature.

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There are several reasons why diagnosis of alcohol exposure is important. As with any disease, early diagnosis provides for many more options and treatments than detection at an advanced stage. 

a. Early diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effect (FAE) allow newborns to be identified and enrolled into early intervention and treatment programs. New programs are showing dramatic improvements in children identified earlier in life.

b. Detection of an alcohol affected child can allow help, intervention and treatment to be offered to the mother, so that future FAS and FAE children may be prevented.

c. When cocaine- and opiate-exposed newborns were first detected, there was no treatment. As programs, understanding and treatments improve, diagnosis at a very early stage can only help the outcome of the child, mother and family.

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Generally, results are reported to a secure fax at the hospital facility. This number is confirmed as secure when your account is initiated. As encryption programs improve, developments in e-mail and web-based internet reporting are being developed.  Under no circumstances are results ever given via telephone, since the laboratory has no definite indication of the identity of the caller.

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The single most important element of collecting meconium for drug and alcohol testing is obtaining the entire quantity of meconium that the newborn passes. This is extremely important in order to obtain the maximum time window of exposure for the infant. Meconium is a HETEROGENEOUS material and each portion passed reflects a different time of gestation. This is due to the extreme viscosity of the meconium mass and the lack of significant mixing in the fetal intestine. If only a portion of the total meconium is collected and sent for analysis, it may reflect a period of abstinence and a truly drug or alcohol exposed infant will be misdiagnosed as non-exposed.

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This is an excellent example of the difference in the time window between meconium and saliva. Saliva will reflect use for up to 48 hours after use of methamphetamine. Meconium reflects weeks of past exposure history. In this case the maternal use did not fall into the time window available from a saliva sample but the meconium specimen did provide a broad enough window to identify the newborn as methamphetamine-exposed. The take home message is that meconium reflects weeks to months of exposure history whereas urine and saliva provide hours to days of history.

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No, the result of any second collected specimen has absolutely no bearing on the validity of the result of any first collected specimen because you have no idea what the donor did between time A and time B.

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Single doses do not guarantee a positive result. The number of doses required to generate a positive result is highly variable between donors.

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Yes, environmental exposure versus ingestion must be resolved when interpreting drug tests using nails.

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Drugs can be identified in nails up to eight months after the last usage. Toenail clippings show over one year of drug use.

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The optimum amount of nail clippings needed is 100 milligrams. If trimming all 10 fingernails, each clipping must be at least 2 millimeters to 3 millimeters long.

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Drugs are distributed via the blood supply to the nail cells and the nail bed. Nails grow not only in length but in thickness as well. As the nail grows in thickness, it creates layers of drug history.

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A sample of 1 milliliter can identify usage over the previous 12 hours to 48 hours for most drugs and alcohol.

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USDTL uses the Quantisal collection device for lab-based testing. The paddle indicator will turn blue when enough fluid is collected.

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Please use only purple, gray and green top tubes.

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No, PEth is a whole blood procedure.

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Recent studies have indicated that low-level positive EtG results can be produced by certain agents like hand sanitizers and mouth wash. The PEthStat^SM blood assay is an ideal tool to define low-level positive EtG results. The volume of alcohol required to trigger a positive PEth result is far above the level available from incidental exposure.

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Requested sample amount is 5 milliliters of blood.

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Results are available four to seven days after the sample is received in the laboratory.

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PEth is a mid- to long-term biomarker measurable after consumption of approximately 200 grams of alcohol. An individual consuming one drink per day for six to seven days will produce a positive result. PEth can be measured for two to three weeks following the most recent alcohol consumption.

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Certain bacteria may interfere with drug detection but will not generate a false positive. Fermenting bacteria in the presence of excess glucose may produce ethanol in the bladder and in the specimen cup.

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Recent studies have indicated that low-level positive EtG results can be produced by certain agents like hand sanitizers and mouth wash. The PEthStat^SM blood assay is an ideal tool to define low-level positive EtG results. The volume of alcohol required to trigger a positive PEth result is far above the level available from incidental exposure.

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We hold negative samples for three days and positive samples for one year.

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Requested sample volume is 10 milliliters.

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A sample of urine provides a drug history from the last two to three days for most drugs, and an even longer period for marijuana.