Intercept Drug Test

Intercept: The Oral Fluid Drug Test

 By STC Technologies Inc

What is Intercept?

The increasing need to control substance abuse in the workplace has created the increasing need for mandatory workplace drug testing, especially in environments where drug use can affect the health and safety of many others.   Intercept is an easy-to-use oral fluid drug test that detects the presence of "NINA-5" drugs (marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP, and amphetamines) without the need to collect urine.  

How Does Intercept Work?

Intercept tests for the presence of drugs by collecting the fluid in the mouth and analyzing the components in the saliva.   All donors need to do is take a sample of their saliva on a cotton swab and insert the sample into a specimen vial that contains a chemical compound especially formulated to detect substances found in certain drugs.  

Once these test samples have been collected and properly prepared, the specimen vials are sent to the STC Technologies laboratories where they are professionally analyzed.   "Next-day" test results can be obtained for negative results and within 72 hours for confirmed positive results.   Intercept tests are in compliance by OSHA standards and the STC Technologies laboratories have been certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  

How Will Intercept Benefit You?

Using Intercept has some advantages that are worth highlighting:

ø           Easy to use - collecting oral fluid samples through Intercept is less cumbersome and bothersome than collecting urine samples

ø           Maintain employee dignity - watching someone test for drug-related substances can be demeaning, especially if urine tests are used; Intercept allows for observable testing and test specimens can be handled in a more discreet manner

ø           Save time and money - reduce the costs of collection and the time spent on organizing drug testing sessions

ø           Reduce adulteration - since Intercept tests involve oral fluids, collecting samples can be done under the observation of test administrators, reducing the chances of adulteration that can occur with urine drug tests

ø           Obtain results quickly and confidentially - negative test results can be obtained within the next business day while confirmed positive results can be obtained within 72 hours; test results can be obtained from the Intercept website by simply logging in with a specified username and password

Limitations

Unlike urine drug tests, Intercept (as well as all other oral fluid drug tests) is better at identifying recent drug usage.   Oral drug fluids can detect the presence of drugs within four hours of usage, but usually within one to three days of usage.   Comparatively, urine drug tests rely on detecting traces of drugs in the body´s waste supply and may detect some drugs for a longer period.

Documentation/Manual

First-time Intercept users receive a training CD-ROM with their order, which provides detailed instructions as to how to properly use and handle the test. The Intercept website also provides a quick but useful instruction guide.

Price

Intercept is sold in packages of five and, like any other ordering scheme, the prices get lower the more quantities your request.   Here´s the pricing chart:

5-10 packages - $55 each

15-20 packages - $50 each

25+ packages - $45 each

There is a minimum order of 5 packages, which will cost you $275 not including shipping and handling fees.   A CD-ROM-based training kit is also included with the initial order.   However, interested users can purchase this training CD separately for $99.

Overall Evaluation

Unfortunately, I was unable to try this product out for myself.   However, based on the relative ease of the collection and analysis processes, Intercept appears to be an efficient drug-testing product.   Note that neither the Intercept website nor the STC Technologies website state the accuracy of the drug test or of oral fluid drug tests in general.

About the Company

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, STC Technologies is a "leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of proprietary immunodiagnostic tests and other diagnostic products capable of detecting substances in a number of alternative bodily fluids for use in commercial labs, hospitals, physician offices, and on-site testing".  

In addition to the Intercept oral fluid drug test, STC Technologies also produces the Q.E.D. Saliva Alcohol Test.   For more information about Intercept, go to www.4intercept.com.   For more information on STC Technologies and the other products and services they offer, check out their website at www.stctech.com.