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View Full Version : Some clarification about neg results



IgotQuestions
03-06-2013, 12:14 AM
Okay, so I understand that even a faint line is considered to be negative, but how open to interpretation is that? What is a "faint" to one lab tech be considered "preliminary positive" to another?

I'm curious as to what people (especially those with experience) know about this. I took a DOT test and the morning before I took a test with first void and there was a faint line... then the day of my test I used my third void of the day for my actual DOT test, but then next void I tested with a drug test Walgreen one and the line was so faint. I can try to add it, but the blur is horrible, so you might not see it well.

290090

Now it did have a faint pink line. But how objective are the testers at Quest who do these initial preliminary screenings? I'm just concerned what is pass with the instructions would be a fail by that tech's opinion.

Are they trained that every line, no matter how faint, is done as a negative (passing)?

Burnt Toast
03-06-2013, 01:50 AM
If a line were to be so faint that a given tech wasnt sure how to interpret it (or even end up interpreting it as a 'non-negative') the sample would undergo the confirmation GC/MS just to be sure.

Even if an untrained tech were to misinterpret a faint line as a "non-negative" and the sample was referred to the GC/MS for confirmation, the sample would come back as a negative.

As far as your pic goes, I can see the line clearly - and thats without "blowing up" the pic or using magnifying devices. Its a negative.

A properly trained tech would utilize this rule of thumb: If it can be photocopied, its a line.