A
drug test is a technical analysis of a
biological specimen, for example urine, hair, blood, breath, sweat, or oral fluid/saliva—to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their
metabolites. Major applications of drug testing include detection of the presence of
performance enhancing steroids in sport, employers screening for
drugs prohibited by law (such as
cannabis,
cocaine and heroin) and police officers testing for the presence and concentration of alcohol (ethanol) in the blood commonly referred to as
BAC (blood alcohol content). BAC tests are typically administered via a
breathalyzer while
urinalysis is used for the vast majority of drug testing in sports and the workplace.