QED A-150 Alcohol test FAQ’s. Answers to questions about QED A-150 alcohol tests. Learn how to use the QED alcohol test and read the test results.
Frequently asked questions about QED alcohol test answered here.
Control checks, using OraSure Technologies’ Q.E.D.® ethanol control solution should be run once per lot number of Q.E.D.® tests. CLIA-waived status eliminated the need for daily control checks.
The Q.E.D.® test is much less expensive to operate than a breath test. The exception to this being if 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.
The DOT will accept results of confirmation tests conducted more than 30 minutes after a positive screening test. Refer 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.
Storing and using Q.E.D.® tests at room temperature (15-30°C, 59-86°F) insures optimal performance and a full shelf life. However, the Q.E.D.® test will work fine if exposed to temperatures outside that range for limited periods. We tested the Q.E.D.® device under a wide range of temperatures and storage conditions – simulating the inside of a vehicle glove box on a hot summer day (about 120°F) and the cold of North Dakota in January (about 0°F). In all cases, the test performed as it should. Before using a Q.E.D.® Saliva Alcohol Test exposed to extreme heat, allow the device to cool to room temperature; if the Q.E.D.® device is exposed to extreme cold, put it into a pocket to warm it up.
No. Unlike breath analyzers and other saliva tests, the Q.E.D.® test is specific to ethyl alcohol and will not cross-react with acetone and ketone produced by diabetic patients and individuals with other conditions or on extremely strict diets.
No. The materials are copyrighted and therefore cannot be reproduced. It is for that reason we have produced additional student kits. Q.E.D.® distributors price extra student kits inexpensively to encourage additional certification under the law.
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.
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, authorized Q.E.D.® Distributors or STT Trainer.
Yes. The STT Training Video is DOT-approved and covers the DOT regulations. However, 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.
Beverage alcohol (ethyl alcohol) is absorbed directly and unchanged into a person’s body and is evenly distributed throughout the blood stream and other bodily fluids, including saliva. The Q.E.D. 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. A person’s mouth is “clear” of residuals 10 minutes after eating or drinking.
