[Identification of drug abuse].
Drug abuse poses health and safety hazards, both in the workplace and in the wider community. There is increasing pressure to use urine drug tests to determine the prevalence of drug abuse, to deter illicit use of drugs, and to identify drug abusers for rehabilitation. Drug-abuse testing programs have been implemented for employees, job applicants, policemen, firemen, enlisted personnel of the army, athletes, and workers in occupations that are considered critical to public safety and health, such as those in nuclear power plants and the transportation industry. Since the consequences of a positive test can be quite severe, there is a need to develop uniform and internationally recognized methods for identifying drug abuse. The paper discusses selection of biological specimens for drug-abuse testing, main characteristics of drugs of abuse and recommended analytical techniques for their determination. The importance of a quality assurance program for drug-testing laboratories is emphasised.
Institut za medicinska istrazivanja i medicinu rada, Zagreb.
L
L
Skender
D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards