DASA provides ISO 9001 Quality Endorsed drug and alcohol collection and testing services.

The range of drug testing services DASA provides includes pre-employment, cause and random onsite testing performed by experienced and qualified staff and includes breath alcohol and drugs of abuse testing. DASA operates on a 24/7 basis and will perform onsite tests on individuals as well as sites with hundreds of employees in a time efficient and cost-effective manner.

The most common drug and alcohol services are tests for oral fluid (saliva), urine and breath alcohol. Oral fluid (saliva) is becoming the preferred choice for onsite testing for many industries. It is more difficult to cheat, has a narrow window of detection, and requires no special facilities to collect. Urine though is still the preferred method for pre-employment testing with its ability to detect a broader history of drug use. Both saliva and urine drug testing are done according to the current Australian Standard, AS 4760(2006) and AS4308 (2008) respectively. As such we conduct regular quality control checks both internal and external in accordance with the standard. Our collectors are health professionals trained in drug sample collection techniques and privacy.

At DASA we handle testing with sensitivity and the utmost respect for individual's privacy. We also have doctors available to help with interpretation of results and dealing with workers who may need advice or help with drug and alcohol problems.

If you want advice on saliva or urine drug testing or help go to ask a question

ORAL FLUID DRUG TESTING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS ORAL FLUID TESTING?

Oral fluids testing collects a sample of fluids from a subjects mouth. It includes saliva and other oral secretions as well as material left behind during drug use. Most drugs pass quickly from the blood stream into fluids secreted into the mouth in detectable levels. The significant exception is THC, which cannot pass from blood stream to oral cavity. It however is detected by residual contamination of the mouth due to smoking or ingestion.

HOW LONG WILL THE DRUG BE DETECTABLE?

As the drug level is cleared rapidly from the blood it is equally rapidly cleared from the oral fluids. This is not the case for urine drug levels where the breakdown process and excretion can reflect the presence of drug well past any time when it may be affecting the patient

Amphetamine Saliva 10min-72 hrs Urine 3-5 days

Cocaine Saliva 10min-24 hrs Urine 2-3 days

THC Saliva 0-14 hrs Urine 3-14 days

Methamphetamine Saliva 10min-72 hrs Urine 3-5 days

Opiates Saliva 1hr-36 hrs Urine 1-3 days

These times are of course averages and will vary depending a broad range of individual factors

HOW IS IT DONE?

There are a number of collection methods currently available but the most reliable involves a subject moving an absorbent device around the mouth picking up both saliva and other residues. The sample is then placed in either an onsite device or taken to a laboratory.

WHY USE ORAL FLUIDS TESTING?

There are a number of advantages of oral fluids testing over current urine drug testing methods:
The sample is easier to collect with no privacy issues

There is less chance the sample can be altered to mask the result

The drug can be detected very quickly and does not persist for more than a few days which better reflects current usage

WHEN IS ORAL FLUIDS TESTING MOST USEFUL?

As it is easy to collect and the drug can only be detected for a short time it is most useful for onsite safety checks such as roadside and workplace testing.

IS IT AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA?

There are a number of onsite systems currently available and an Australian Standard AS 4760 was released at the end of 2006. This standard requires an extensive level of quality control and expertise to perform these tests to an evidentiary level that can potentially be defended in court.

COMPARISON OF ORAL FLUIDS DEVICES - COZART VS MAVAND

We often get asked about "Cozart" testing. We use other systems as they are faster and more accurate. Here is a comparison with one of the systems we use - Mavand.

Ability to detect more than twice as many THC users

THC is the most commonly used drug of abuse. Previously oral fluid devices had considerable difficulty in detecting this drug. A Pan European project Druid-Esther has looked at 13 different drug tests:

Mavand detected THC correctly on 92% of all tests

Cozart detected THC correctly on 38% of all tests

No more problems with “dry mouth”

Most oral fluid devices (including Cozart) require up to 1ml of saliva to perform the test. This can be very difficult to collect from workers who have a “dry mouth” especially smokers and can take up to 30 minutes to achieve.

Quicker processing time

The Cozart test takes at least 12 minutes to process and requires a special instrument so that only one worker can be processed at a time. This means at a maximum only 5 workers can be processed per collector per hour, and usually only 3 or 4 per hour. The Mavand only requires 7 minutes and does not require a special instrument to read so more than one worker can be processed at a time. This means that typically 10 workers can be processed by one collector in an hour.

Internationally recognised device

The two major police forces to institute roadside drug testing in Europe recently (France and Germany) both selected the Mavand oral fluid device. Australia is the only country to utilise the Cozart system for roadside drug testing and it is used only as the secondary, not the initial testing device.

Additional Advantages of DASA

24 hour clearance of Codeine and Pseudoephedrine results

Our NATA accredited laboratory can confirm Codeine and Pseudoephedrine results within 24 hours of receiving the result in lab, often on the same day for morning collections. This allows the worker who has taken a legal drug to potentially return the next day.

Expert Medical, Scientific and Policy advice

DASA has a team of professionals with over 15 years experience in all aspects of drug and alcohol issues in the workplace. We are able to provide quality confidential advice to both management and workers available either online or via a 1800 number.

Accredited agency and collectors

DASA is ISO 9001 certified and has fully trained and accredited collectors. We fully comply with the Australian Standard 4760 requirements for quality control, privacy and chain of custody. This ensures a reliable and defendable result every time.