The test panel is an immunoassay (biochemical test) based on the principle of competitive binding. Drugs which may be present in the urine/saliva specimen compete against their respective drug conjugate for binding sites on their specific antibody. 

During testing, a urine/saliva specimen migrates upward by capillary action. A drug, if present in the specimen below its cut-off concentration, will not saturate the binding sites of its specific antibody. The antibody will then react with the drug protein conjugate and a visible coloured line will show up in the test line region of the specific drug strip. The presence of a drug above the cut off concentration will saturate all the binding sites of the antibody. Therefore, the coloured line will not form in the test line region. 

A drug positive urine/saliva specimen will not generate a coloured line in the specific test line region of the strip because of drug competition, whilst a drug negative urine/saliva specimen will generate a line in the test region because of the absence of drug competition. 

To serve as a procedural control, a coloured line will always appear at the control line region, indicating that proper volume of specimen has been added and membrane wicking has occurred. 

The Urine and Saliva screening tests only differ in the way the sample is collected. The Urine test requires the use of a bathroom to collect the sample. The Saliva test requires a swab taken from inside the mouth.

The Urine Drug test can be affected by the following factors:  

• Incorrect storage of the test panel, including suboptimal temperatures 
• Test removed from the sealed pouch for an extended period prior to use 
• Food or Medications taken by the donor 
• Test is being used past the expiry date 
• Adulterants such as bleach and/or alum in urine specimens may produce inaccurate results. 

 
The Saliva Drug test result can be affected by the following factors: 

• Incorrect collection of the saliva specimen 
• Test removed from the sealed pouch for an extended period prior to use 
•  Incorrect storage of the test panel 
• Test is being used past the expiry date 
• Food or Medications taken by the donor 
• Lack of Hydration 
• Food or Drink has been consumed 10 minutes prior to sample being collected.  

All Drug Alert Tests (both Urine and Saliva) display their results in the same way. For a positive result, a red line will appear against the ‘C’ (control line), and no line will appear against the ‘T’ test panel. For a negative result, a red line will appear against the ‘C’ control panel, and a line will also appear against the test line.As a general guide, when testing for a single drug, 1 control line + 1 drug test line = negative, and 1 control line + no drug test line = positive. For our multi drug tests, please apply this rule to the specific drug you are testing for. For more detail on interpreting your results, please refer to the production information leaflet included in your drug test pack. 

Many factors that affect how long a drug stays in a persons body. It is largely dependent on the type of drug that has been consumed. For more information on this, visit this Addiction Center LInk.

Performing a drug test will indicate the presence of a drug and its metabolites in your system. As a result, you can lower the risk of an accident and harm to the physical and mental well-being of yourself and others. Test yourself and not your life. 

Although Australian standard approved drug test devices have a reduced chance of a false positive, it is always recommended that positive tests be confirmed by an accredited laboratory for further testing. The Drug Alert test panel provides a preliminary analytical result only. A secondary analytical method must be used to obtain a confirmed quantitative result.

A positive result indicates presence of the drug or its metabolites, but does not indicate the level of intoxication, administration route or concentration in urine.

Yes they do. The table below shows the cut off level for each of the drugs they test for. These cut off levels are based on the standard specifications set for substance abuse test kits. Drug Alert kits do not use a zero level, as the possibility of obtaining a false positive result would be increased.

Drug & Cut-Off Level
Marijuana THC 50 ng/mL 
Cocaine COC 300 ng/mL 
Opiates OPI 300 ng/mL 
Amphetamine AMP 300 ng/mL 
Methamphetamine MET 300 ng/mL 
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA 500 ng/mL 
Tricyclic TCA 1000 ng/mL 
Barbiturates BAR 300 ng/mL 
Benzodiazepines BZO 200 ng/mL 
Methadone MTD 300 ng/mL 

Each kit has a control line which is indicated by a C. When a red line appears next to the C it is your verification that the kit has worked correctly. It will appear, be it a positive or negative result. If the line next to the C does not appear then the result is invalid.

There are a number of factors which have to be taken into account. These include: 

• The metabolism of the person being tested 
• The type of drug consumed. As an example, marijuana can stay in the system for a month or more 
• The amount and frequency that a drug is consumed 

The below will serve as a general guide:

• Marijuana THC up to 40 days plus 
• Cocaine COC 2 – 4 days 
• Opiates OPI 2 – 3 days 
• Amphetamine AMP 2 – 4 days 
• Methamphetamine MET 2 – 4 days 
• Methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA 2 – 4 days 
• Tricyclic TCA 2 – 7 days 
  Barbiturates BAR 1 – 3 days 
• Benzodiazepines BZO 1 – 4 days 
• Methadone MTD 1 – 3 days