Waiting for the results of the Eurovision winner’s drug test, but how long can you track down cocaine use?

In the meantime, we have to wait for the results of the promised test. Jan Tytgat, toxicologist at KU Leuven, explained on Radio 2 that there are two types of tests to detect drug use: rapid tests, such as those used by the police to detect drug use in traffic, and laboratory tests.

“With the rapid tests you have the result within a few minutes. They have been developed to work with saliva and urine, ”explains Tytgat. “During those tests you can read on a strip whether cocaine is present.”

In the case of the Eurovision singer, it may have been too late to use such a quick test, says Tytgat. “Because if you test in the saliva, it only says something about any drug use in the last 4 to 5 hours. Never longer. ” If a urine sample was used for the rapid test, drug use can still be detected in the past 2 to 3 days.

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