Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
"In Drugs of Abuse: Body Fluid Testing, leading authorities review the science of drug testing in all its aspects, placing emphasis on technologies that use body fluids other than urine for determining the presence of drugs of abuse. The authors discuss the various body fluid specimens suitable for testing for illicit drugs - particularly saliva, sweat, and hair - describe the structural and manufacturing aspects of on-site testing devices based on lateral flow immunoassay, and detail the pitfalls sometimes encountered when using these specimens. They also discuss in detail the problem of sample adulteration and its detection. Since oral fluid has the best potential of succeeding urine as the next matrix of choice for drug detection, four popular saliva testing devices are examined: Intercept, the Drager Drug Test, Oratect, and Drugwipe. Political, social, and legal issues are also considered in articles on privacy, the use of drug testing in courts, and the problem of sample adulteration. An international perspective is provided by a description of a large-scale roadside drug-testing program (ROSITA) in the European Union." Comprehensive and authoritative, Drugs of Abuse: Body Fluid Testing offers not only an understanding of the theoretical principles behind these techniques, but also an up-to-date account of both the recent advances in drug testing techniques and today's optimal testing practices.Synopsis
Drug testing is now an established science that employs many new technologies and has become a multimillion dollar business directly and indirectly touching the lives of many people. In Drugs of Abuse: Body Fluid Testing, leading authorities review the science of drug testing in all its aspects, placing emphasis on technologies that use body fluids other than urine for determining the presence of drugs of abuse. The authors discuss the various body fluid specimens suitable for testing for illicit drugs-particularly saliva, sweat, and hair-describe the structural and manufacturing aspects of on-site testing devices based on lateral flow immunoassay, and detail the pitfalls sometimes encountered when using these specimens. They also discuss in detail the problem of sample adulteration and its detection. Since oral fluid has the best potential of succeeding urine as the next matrix of choice for drug detection, four popular saliva testing devices are examined: Intercept®, the Drager Drug Test®, Oratect®, and Drugwipe. Political, social, and legal issues are also considered in articles on privacy, the use of drug testing in courts, and the problem of sample adulteration. An international perspective is provided by a description of a large-scale roadside drug-testing program (ROSITA) in the European Union.
Comprehensive and authoritative, Drugs of Abuse: Body Fluid Testing offers not only an understanding of the theoretical principles behind these techniques, but also an up-to-date account of both the recent advances in drug testing techniques and today's optimal testing practices.
Doody Review Services
Reviewer:Valerie L. Ng, PhD MD(Alameda County Medical Center/Highland Hospital)
Description:This relatively small hardcover book is a remarkably complete treatise on drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine.
Purpose:The authors intended this book to be a compilation of subjects related to drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine. They also intended it to appeal to a wide audience, given that this type of testing impacts legal, social and laboratory issues. The authors have succeeded admirably in their stated endeavor.
Audience:This book would appeal to anyone interested in any aspect of drugs of abuse testing, including laboratorians (clinical laboratory scientists or pathologists in training or practice; toxicologists; forensic toxicologists), employees of the legal system who would take action on positive drug results, manufacturers of assays to either detect drugs or abuse or evade detection, and finally anyone interested in this topic (including automobile drivers or concerned parents).
Features:This deceptively small book contains 18 chapters devoted to all aspects of drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine (i.e., oral fluid, sweat, hair). What a great read! The subjects range from the historical perspective of how drug testing in the workplace started in the United States, underlying technology for rapid screening tests, relative performance of various commercially available assays, commercial products used to evade drug detection, the interaction of the criminal justice system with drugs of abuse testing (United States versus European perspective), and finally a summary of a "roadside drug testing assessment project" conducted in Europe. The writing is superb and gripping. Although not a subject with which I typically deal, I was riveted by this book and couldn't put it down. It's fascinating to read how drugs of abuse testing started and where the field is evolving. As an example, until I read this book, I never imagined the large and readily accessible commercial adulterant market for evading detection of drugs of abuse. I was also quite surprised to read the final chapter detailing the "roadside drug testing assessment." This study had police testing drivers in many European countries, comparing the accuracy of rapid onsite tests results with that of conventional laboratory blood testing. Aside from this, the more chilling aspect was learning about why the police are interested in such testing (i.e., high rate of recreational drug use) and issues of importance to the police (i.e., sample preferences, ease of test performance, etc.). The next phase of this testing evaluation has been extended to six cities in the United States, a rather sobering fact (!). In other words, any driver stopped by law enforcement in these six cities will likely undergo a much more involved process than just the breathalyzer....
Assessment:This is an absolutely fascinating book. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in this area of laboratory testing.
Editorials
From The Critics
Reviewer: Valerie L. Ng, PhD MD(Alameda County Medical Center/Highland Hospital)Description: This relatively small hardcover book is a remarkably complete treatise on drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine.
Purpose: The authors intended this book to be a compilation of subjects related to drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine. They also intended it to appeal to a wide audience, given that this type of testing impacts legal, social and laboratory issues. The authors have succeeded admirably in their stated endeavor.
Audience: This book would appeal to anyone interested in any aspect of drugs of abuse testing, including laboratorians (clinical laboratory scientists or pathologists in training or practice; toxicologists; forensic toxicologists), employees of the legal system who would take action on positive drug results, manufacturers of assays to either detect drugs or abuse or evade detection, and finally anyone interested in this topic (including automobile drivers or concerned parents).
Features: This deceptively small book contains 18 chapters devoted to all aspects of drugs of abuse testing in body fluids other than urine (i.e., oral fluid, sweat, hair). What a great read! The subjects range from the historical perspective of how drug testing in the workplace started in the United States, underlying technology for rapid screening tests, relative performance of various commercially available assays, commercial products used to evade drug detection, the interaction of the criminal justice system with drugs of abuse testing (United States versus European perspective), and finally a summary of a "roadside drug testing assessment project" conducted in Europe. The writing is superb and gripping. Although not a subject with which I typically deal, I was riveted by this book and couldn't put it down. It's fascinating to read how drugs of abuse testing started and where the field is evolving. As an example, until I read this book, I never imagined the large and readily accessible commercial adulterant market for evading detection of drugs of abuse. I was also quite surprised to read the final chapter detailing the "roadside drug testing assessment." This study had police testing drivers in many European countries, comparing the accuracy of rapid onsite tests results with that of conventional laboratory blood testing. Aside from this, the more chilling aspect was learning about why the police are interested in such testing (i.e., high rate of recreational drug use) and issues of importance to the police (i.e., sample preferences, ease of test performance, etc.). The next phase of this testing evaluation has been extended to six cities in the United States, a rather sobering fact (!). In other words, any driver stopped by law enforcement in these six cities will likely undergo a much more involved process than just the breathalyzer....
Assessment: This is an absolutely fascinating book. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in this area of laboratory testing.
4 Stars! from Doody