Q.E.D.® A150 Saliva Alcohol Test * DOT Approved

Q.E.D.® A150 Saliva Alcohol Test * by OraSure Technologies, Inc. (DOT Approved)

Saliva Alcohol Test for Substance Abuse – an on-site, low-cost alternative to breath or blood testing. The test is easy to operate and provides quantitative results as accurately as a blood test. Ideal for workplace testing, criminal justice, hospital emergency psychiatric, and occupational health departments.

The Q.E.D. Saliva Alcohol Tests provide rapid, accurate, quantitative determination of alcohol in saliva. The Saliva Alcohol Tests can be used as an accurate screen in place of blood or breath alcohol tests.

• Quantitative results for Saliva Alcohol Test in 2-5 minutes.
• DOT Approved
• CLIA Waived
• Easy & convenient to use
• Reads like a thermometer
• Long shelf life with built-in quality control spot
• High correlation to blood analysis
• Non-invasive
• No instrumentation required

How it works . . .

Collecting saliva: Actively swab around the cheeks, gums, and under the tongue for 30-60 seconds until the cotton swab is thoroughly saturated.
Filling the capillary: Place the Q.E.D. test on a flat surface. Gently twist the collector into the entry port. Apply gentle steady pressure until the pink fluid passes the QA Spot at the end of the device.
Interpreting test results: Allow two (2) minutes for the Q.E.D.® A150 test to develop. The QA spot must be dark purple to indicate a valid test. If the same color forms a bar within the measurement scale, read the highest point. Ignore bubbles.

FAQs on Q.E.D.® Saliva Alcohol Test:

1. What does a positive reading look like with the QED® test?

When a QED® test result is positive, a dark purple color bar forms within the measurement scale. This color is distinctly darker than the pink or orange color seen as the sample fills the device. The color bar on a positive test — the same color seen in the QA Spot™ — develops in 2 minutes.

2. How hard should I press down with the QED® applicator?

Gently apply slow and even pressure when placing the swab in the entry port. Too much pressure can jam the test. For best results, gently twist the collector into the entry port until the cotton touches the red filter pad, and then begin pressing.

3. What does the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) waiver mean for work site testing?

Because work site testing is considered forensic testing, CLIA regulations do not apply. The waived status for the QED® Saliva Alcohol Test under CLIA ’88 makes testing easier in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and treatment facilities where our test is used as an in-vitro diagnostic tool.

4. Does the QED® test measure residual alcohol in the mouth or is it measuring the alcohol within the entire body (bloodstream)?

Beverage alcohol (ethyl alcohol) is absorbed directly and unchanged into a person’s body and is evenly distributed throughout the bloodstream and other bodily fluids, including saliva. The QED® test measures the amount of alcohol in bodily fluids, commonly called blood-alcohol concentration, or BAC. Residual alcohol in the mouth just after a person takes a drink is quickly absorbed, swallowed, or evaporated, and a person’s mouth is “clear” of residuals 10 minutes after eating or drinking.

5. One customer asked if “using the QED® Saliva Alcohol Test was just a matter of spitting on to those little thermometers?”

The QED® test does provide laboratory accuracy with on-site simplicity, but spitting is not polite and we wouldn’t want to support bad manners.

6. When are you going to make a Screening Test Technician (STT) training video for non-Department of Transportation (DOT) settings?

While the STT Training Video is DOT-approved and covers the DOT regulations, it should not be viewed as a “DOT only” product. Companies with alcohol testing policies would do well to use the DOT program as a model, in case their program was ever challenged. Similarly, test technicians should consider DOT certification as a way to further validate their ability to do the testing.

7. How can a company use your Screening Test Technician (STT) training video to certify an STT if no one at the company is already certified?

The DOT requires that the STT Training Video Facilitator be someone with at least one year’s experience working as an STT or training STTs. Without that experience, a Facilitator must complete a “train the trainer” STT course offered by OraSure Technologies or an authorized QED Distributor or STT Trainer.

8. Can a “facilitator” become certified while taking a student through the video course?

No. The DOT ruled that STTs cannot certify themselves. However, once a student is certified, the student can be the facilitator, and the facilitator becomes the student.

9. How will planned revisions to the DOT Regulations affect my certification?

The DOT has released its proposed new rule, the comment period on which closed April 7, 2000. The DOT is advocating re-certification for all STTs every two years. OraSure Technologies, Inc. will continue its “train the trainer” program for STTs to help people comply with current and future regulations.

10. Can the book in the (Screening Test Technician) STT video kit be copied?

No. The materials are copyrighted and therefore cannot be reproduced. It is for that reason we have produced additional student kits. QED® distributors price extra student kits inexpensively to encourage additional certification under the law.

11. Will the QED® test react with ketone often found in the saliva of diabetic patients?

No. Unlike breath analyzers and other saliva tests, the QED® test is specific to ethyl alcohol and will not cross-react with acetone and ketone produced by diabetic patients.

12. Will the QED® device work if it is stored at temperatures outside the range on the packaging?

Storing and using QED® tests at room temperature (15-30ºC, 59-86ºF) ensures optimal performance and a full shelf-life. However, the QED® test will work fine if exposed to temperatures outside that range for limited periods. We tested the QED® device under a wide range of temperatures and storage conditions — simulating the inside of a vehicle glove box on a hot summer day (about 120ºF) and the lonely cold of North Dakota in January (about 0ºF). In all cases, the test performed as it should. Before using a QED® Saliva Alcohol Test exposed to extreme heat, allow the device to cool to room temperature; if the QED® device is exposed to extreme cold, put it into a pocket to warm it up.

13. How can companies using the QED® test in very remote areas comply with the DOT’s requirement that confirmation tests on positive screening tests must be conducted within 30 minutes?

The DOT will accept results of confirmation tests conducted more than 30 minutes after a positive screening test. Look to 49 CFR Part 40 section 40.65, paragraph (b). The DOT added a sentence which directs the Breath Alcohol Technician (BAT) to simply explain “why?” if a confirmation test is done more than 30 minutes after a screening test. This is not a fatal flaw.

14. Why should I buy the QED® Saliva Alcohol Test if I need an Evidential Breath Testing (EBT) to confirm positive test results?

The QED® test is much less expensive to operate than a breath test unless you conduct a very high volume of tests in a central location. By and large, each test done on saliva instead of breath saves money. Plus, performing two independent tests is more legally defensible on the rare occasion an employee does test positive for alcohol.

15. What are the quality control (QC) requirements for the QED® test?

Control checks, using OraSure Technologies’ QED® ethanol control solution should be run once per lot number of QED® tests. CLIA waived status and eliminated the need for daily control checks.

*The Q.E.D.® test is to be administered by a certified Screening Test Technician or trained professional. IN NO EVENT SHALL ORASURE NOR LIFELINE MEDICAL, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES.

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