Drug Testing - The Definitive Guide
DETECTING COUNTER MEASURES
Laboratories know how easy it is to tamper with urine samples and alter the results. Laboratories test to find out if the sample is legitimate.
Color
If a urine sample looks clear, the lab or the collector may suspect that it's watered down because you have drank excessive fluids. They can't report it as positive, they cannot even reject the specimen due to color (or lack of it). You can take vitamin B complex to color your urine yellow. It isn’t necessary, but if it makes you feel better, go for it. Don’t go overboard on the vitamins or you will get neon green pee.
Temperature
Urine should be between 90 and 100 degrees. The urine collector will verify the temperature and mark whether it was between 90 and 100 degrees or not. If it isn't, they will suspect you added water to the cup, or used substitution. Disposable pocket hand warmers (sold in department stores) will keep a urine sample warm. Simply tape the hand warmer to the outside of the container. Be sure to leave some space if you are using air activated hand warmers.
Standard Laboratory Adulterant Checks
Creatinine is a byproduct of creatine. If someone substitutes their urine with something other than urine (or synthetic urine), the lab will not detect drugs, however; the specimen will be rejected or labeled adulterated due to the abnormally low level of creatinine. If the creatinine level is too low, the specimen is determined to be not human urine and you will fail your drug test. If the specimen is abnormally low, but within the parameters of human urine, the lab will label it to be diluted. If no drugs are detected in a diluted specimen, the specimen is labeled “Negative dilute”. If drugs ar detected in a dilute specimen it will be labeled “positive dilute”. A positive dilute result is the same as a positive drug test. It means you failed the drug test.
pH is often changed when people spike their sample with household products like cleansers, soaps or shampoos. Like creatinine, there is a level where normal urine falls as far as the pH level is concerned. If you have fallen outside that normal parameter, your specimen will be labeled “adulterated”. An adulterated specimen is the same as a positive specimen. It means you failed your drug test.
Specific Gravity is also used to determine if you have tried to dilute your urine by drinking an excessive quantity of fluids before a drug test. There is a normal range for specific gravity for humans and if you fall too far below that level, your urine will be labeled “dilute”. If you fall so far as to be outside the possibility of human urine; for example if you added tap water to your specimen, the lab will report the result as adulterated. Remember, an adulterated specimen is a failed drug test.
Not detectable
Gender, age, pregnancy, hepatitis, aids, etc. None of these are detectable in a drug test. The drug test is detecting DRUGS in the system, nothing else. The tests look for specific things and do not report everything available in the urine. Just because a specimen comes from a pregnant 23 year old unmarried college student, if the urine contains no illegal substances, the drug test result will be negative.
A 1-panel test usually tests for only THC. A 2-panel test tests for two different drugs. Could be amphetamines and THC, could be cocaine and opium. A 5-panel test detects five different illegal substances. A 10 panel test detects up to 10 different illegal substances and so on and so forth. A DOT regulated drug test is a 5-panel test detecting amphetamines, cocaine, opium, THC and PCP. Most non-DOT regulated pre-employment and random tests done for employment purposes are either a 5- or 10-panel test.
