Need more information on our drug testing, DNA testing, or additional screenings? Find quick answers to the most commonly asked questions about our tailored testing solutions.
Below are the most common testing questions.
Each organization has the ability to customize their drug and alcohol testing plan to fit the needs of their organization or community. Many employers follow DOT testing requirements but others add testing for specific drugs that may be of concern in their community.
Many, and often all, employees at the organization are subject to testing, as designated by the organization -wide policy. Many employers require applicants to be tested before beginning employment. Some organizations conduct annual testing of all employees, whereas others conduct periodic, unannounced random tests to give employees or students a reason to say no to drugs and alcohol.
Laboratory positive drug tests are sent to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) to review if there is a valid medical reason for the positive drug screen. If you are taking a prescription that you believe affected the result of your drug screen you should discuss that prescription with the MRO. If the MRO can validate the prescription (Typically after making contact with the prescribing physician and pharmacy) a laboratory positive test can be overturned to a negative
Drug screens test for THC, not CBD. Therefore if the CBD product being used contains high enough levels of THC it can cause a THC positive on a drug.
Negative results are normally reported in 24-48 business hours. Non-negative results take an average of 48-96 hours.
Below are the common questions about DOT testing.
To ensure there is nothing on your hands that could contaminate your specimen. According to DOT Regulations, the collector must instruct the employee to wash and dry his or her hands before a urine specimen is provided. 49 CFR, Part 40.63 (b)
A photo ID issued by the employer or a Federal, state, or local government is also acceptable. However, if positive identification cannot be produced, positive identification by an employer representative (not a co-worker) can be used to verify identity. 49 CFR, Part 40.61 (c)
Yes. After you display the items in your pockets/wallet to the collector, you may place your money/wallet back into your pockets or a secure lock box.
You must display the items in your pockets to ensure no items are present which could be used to adulterate the specimen. 49 CFR, Part 40.61
According to the DOT Regulations, to the greatest extent possible, the alcohol test must be completed before the urine collection process begins. 49 CFR, Part 40.61
To protect the security and integrity of urine collections and to deter tampering with specimens. 49 CFR, Part 40.43.
To prevent unauthorized access to items that could compromise the integrity of the test. 49 CFR, Part 40.43
You may drink up to 40 ounces of fluid, distributed reasonably through a period of up to three hours or until you can provide a sufficient urine specimen, whichever occurs first. 49 CFR, Part 40.193 (b)(2)
DOT regulations state you are only allowed to drink up to 40 ounces of fluid to try to avoid dilution of the specimen. 49 CFR, Part 40.193 (b)(2)
All collections under DOT agency drug testing regulations must be split specimen collections. DOT requires the specimen to contain at least 45 mL of urine for a split specimen (30 mL in vial A & 15 mL in vial B). The split specimen exists to provide the employee with “due process” in the event he or she desires to challenge the results of the primary specimen. The donor may request (within 72 hours of the MRO’s positive decision) to have the split specimen (“B” vial) tested at a different laboratory. 49 CFR, Part 40.71 (a), 49 CFR, Part 40.71 (2) & (3) 49 CFR, Part 40.171
The selection for random testing is made by a scientifically valid method. A computer based random number generator is matched with the employee's ID number or other comparable identifying number. Each employee selected for random testing must have an equal chance of being tested each time selections are made. 49 CFR, Part 382.305 Guidance, Question 6
The laboratory that tests your specimen will send your test results to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) and if your result is positive the MRO will call you regarding your test result. The MRO will discuss with you any possible medication you are taking which could affect the outcome of the drug test. If there is a prescription the MRO will ask for the prescription information and pharmacy and verify this. If everything is verified, your test result will have a final result of negative.
Below are the common questions about DNA paternity testing.
Yes. The test can be done without the mother. Even without the mother we still guarantee at least a 99.99% probability of paternity.
Children receive half of their DNA from their mother and half from their father. By comparing the mother and child’s DNA we can tell which parts of the child’s DNA came from the mother. This lets us know that the remaining part of the child’s DNA came from the biological father—so we know what to compare to the tested man.
A Polaroid photograph is taken of everyone tested. Occasionally an “impostor” will come in for a test. Most often when this occurs the alleged father sends a friend in to have his specimen taken. When this happens the mother can look at the photograph and tell us that the man tested was not the alleged father.
No, your DNA is the same throughout your body. As a result, the source of the DNA sample does not affect the accuracy of a DNA paternity test.
DNA testing is not limited to blood samples. The source of your DNA doesn’t matter. The DNA from your cheek cells is exactly the same as the DNA from your blood. The accuracy of a paternity test is exactly the same, whether the laboratory tests blood or cheek cells from swabs. The reliability of a DNA test is not based on the type of specimen used, but on the type and amount of DNA testing performed by the laboratory.
Yes, the test can give the wrong result. Tomo Drug Testing takes many extra precautions during the collection process to ensure the integrity of the test is not compromised by careless handling of the specimens. The sample is then placed in a tamper-proof package and sent via overnight carrier directly to a lab that is certified and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks, AABB.
If the child and the tested man do not match at three or more tested DNA locations, then the tested man can not be the biological father of the child.
Tomo guaranties a minimum probability of paternity of 99.99%. At a 99.99% probability of paternity, on average the identified genetic pattern will fit no more than 1 in every 10,000 men. Most of our tests are even more discriminating than that.
A test from Tomo Drug Testing will not be 70% or 80%. The results will be either a 99.99% probability of paternity or greater, or a 0% probability of paternity. If the result is 0% then the tested man can not be the biological father of the child.
The test is completely confidential. The mother of the child and all adults tested are entitled to receive the results of the test, as well as copies of the pictures of everyone who was tested. The only other people who can get results of the test are those designated by the tested adults. For example, the mother and alleged father may want results sent to their attorneys.
No one else can get any information about the test. They can not even find out whether an individual was tested, unless we have permission from a tested individual to give out that information.
Physical traits like specific hair and eye color can be either dominant or recessive. For example, your mother may have given you DNA that would result in blue eyes, but your father may have given you DNA that would result in brown eyes. Brown eyes are dominant over blue eyes, and therefore your eyes are brown. You still have the DNA for blue eyes that your mother gave you, and that is just as likely to be passed along to your child as the DNA for brown eyes that your father gave you. The same is true for hair color and other physical traits.
Below are the common questions about student testing.
Adolescents’ brains are still developing therefore especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of drug use. There are short term consequences that could affect the student’s judgment and decision making process (causing accidents, poor performance in school or sports, increased risky behavior, etc). Long term consequences can cause much more serious issues such as poor academic outcomes, family problems, mood changes, and addiction. The earlier a teen begins using drugs, the more likely he or she will develop an addiction.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance abuse reports that around 17% of American high school students are drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day. About 50% of 12th graders say they’ve used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetime and over 35% report using marijuana in the last year. Abuse and misuse of prescription drugs are also high. In 2013, 7.4% of high school seniors reported non-medical use of the prescription stimulant Adderall in the past year.
Drug testing should never be a stand alone solution to a drug problem. Drug testing should be a part of a large comprehensive drug-free school policy.
If a student is appropriately using prescription drugs, he or she may test positive on a drug test. However, a Medical Review Officer (MRO) reviews every laboratory positive drug test result. The MRO verifies that the substance identified in the drug test is prescribed to the student. If that is the case, the test is reported by the MRO to the school as a negative test result.
This ensures that no student tests positive for drugs due to prescription medicine. Student confidentiality is maintained and only the student, the student's parents and the MRO know of the student's use of prescription drugs.
The test is completely confidential. Only the designated school representative at the school receives the results. Parents are able to request a copy of their student's results only by contacting the school.
