CANSFORD LABS
Choosing Your Test
Testing made easy, with results you can trust. Knowing what drug or type of alcohol testing you need isn’t easy or clear cut. Be assured we’re with you every step of the way to inform, guide and advise whichever test you may require.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEST FOR YOU
What do I need to test for?
Different tests detect different drug and alcohol substances.
What detection window am I interested in?
Some tests detect drug or alcohol use ‘in-the-moment’; others detect use up to 4 days later; others detect historical use, between 7 days and 6 months after the incident.
Where will the results be used?
Only laboratory test results are admissible in court, because they offer the highest level of accuracy. Results from a ‘point-of-care’ (POC) test may be sufficient to suspend an individual from a workplace or other establishment, but will need to be confirmed by a laboratory test if the results are to be used elsewhere – at an employment court, for example.
How quickly are results needed?
Point-of-care tests offer results in minutes. Results from Cansford Laboratories tests take up to 3 days – the fastest turnaround time of any UK lab.
How should results be collected?
Collecting hair, nail and oral fluid (saliva) samples is a non-invasive procedure and can be done anywhere. Collecting blood samples is more invasive for donors, and must be done by a trained phlebotomist.
Different methods detect different substances over different time periods and involve different collection methods. Select the right test for you below.
Alcohol Use
In The Last 12 Hours
Breath can be tested for alcohol using handheld devices which provide immediate results. This type of testing can accurately determine whether a person has recently consumed alcohol or is currently over the legal or pre-determined limit.
Alcohol Use
From Two Weeks To Six Months
A hair alcohol test allows us to trace alcohol consumption for 3 or six months. Testing hair for alcohol is often used to determine alcohol abuse but it can also be required to show abstinence. Nail clippings can be used if a hair test is not possible.
Drug Use
In The Last 36-48 Hours
Testing drugs in for a shorter period of detection is required, Cansford recommend oral fluid testing. Testing oral fluid has the additional benefit of providing an accurate toxicology profile at the time of test.
Drug Use
From 7 days To 12 Months
Hair provides a historic record of drug use, and detection windows are based entirely on hair length. It takes about seven days for the drugs to appear in the hair shaft, and moving away from the scalp, every 1cm of hair length approximates to a one month window of detection. Nail clippings can be used if a hair test is not possible.
Steroid Use
From 7 days To 12 Months
By doing our steroid hair testing here on the UK mainland, we can reduce the turnaround time for written results to three days. Extremely difficult to cheat, we use sensitive LC-MS/MS techniques (Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry) to build a month-by-month picture of substance use.
DNA
To Establish Paternal, Maternal & Sibling Relationships
Our service meets Ministry of Justice (MoJ) standards around parentage testing. And right when you need them, our collections teams are available to travel almost anywhere in the UK, where they will take a saliva sample from the inner cheek of the individual in question.
Understanding different tests: