The first and most popular is the Urine test. This procedure usually involves you going into the bathroom and filling up a cup with your urine. They either use a test card right then for immediate results or send it away to a lab to get tested through a sophisticated gas analyzer.
Hair
The second type of test is a Hair Follicle test. Hair testing is quite accurate and can go back 6 months, showing all of the toxins you used in a sort of timeline. Many people try to get around this by just shaving their head. Know that they will go for your underarm, pubic, leg or arm hair if you do not have the required 1/2 inch on your head.
Collection Site and Day of Test
Some companies will give an individual a days notice of a pending drug test. This is usually a sign that the donor will providing a sample off site. The collection site and laboratory where the urinalysis is performed are usually two different places. Less than 5% of all samples have a drug test with a GC/MS performed in the same facility where the sample is collected.
When the donor arrives at the collection site, a nurse or lab technician will ask for photo I.D. for proof of verification. The technician will then transfer the donor's information on the laboratory paperwork and give the donor the sample cup. The donor is usually asked to empty their pockets and leave all personal items in the lobby area. The donor is then escorted to the restroom. The technician will make a quick check of the restroom and might inspect the donor's fingernails or ask the donor to wash their hands before voiding (urinating). This is to ensure the donor does not have salt or other additives under their fingernails. The water in the restroom sink is turned off and the toilet water is dyed blue. The donor is given instructions on how many samples to provide and not to flush the toilet after voiding. Each lab is different on the sample size. Most labs require a minimum of 45 ml or 1-½ ounces of urine. The accepted sample size can vary from 30 - 150 ml or 1 to 5 ounces. Usually the donor is left alone to provide the sample. The technician will wait outside the stall or in the hallway while the donor is urinating. Rarely does the technician view the genitals while the sample is being delivered except for the military and a few cases of criminal probation. The donor is then instructed to wash their hands and proceed to the final paperwork. The urine sample is never supposed to leave the donor's sight in this stage of the test until the final paperwork is completed.
The technician will get the sample from the donor and do a quick integrity check. This consists of temperature and maybe a test strip (see picture), which contain a few Test strips used to check the urine integrity tests like pH, creatinine, and nitrite. The sample must be in the 90-100°F range, a pH in the 4.0 - 9.0 range, creatinine > 20 mg/dl, and nitrite < 500 ng/dl. The sample is then split in two, in case there is a dispute on the first set of results, the second sample can be sent in for a second reanalysis.
Test strips used to check the urine integrity
The donor must sign their name or initials several times in a chain of custody. The chain of custody proves the sample was not tampered with after the donor left, or that samples were mixed up in shipping. The samples are sealed with special tape. The donor signs his initials to the tape confirming the identity of the urine and indicating they have witnessed the sample splitting. The urine is then placed in a special transportation bag that the donor also initials. A final signature on the chain of custody form and the donor is finished. The entire process usually takes less than fifteen minutes.
The sample will then be overnighted to the laboratory for analysis. Results typically take one day if negative, and two to three days if positive.
Probation Testing
A probation test is a little different than most types of drug tests.
During probation an individual forfeits certain unalienable rights, such as the right to vote, bear arms, normal search and seizure, purchase alcohol, and to a fair drug test. For this reason, there really are no rules or regulations for drug testing individuals on probation.
Most probation tests are screens or FPIA screens. This means no GC/MS will be performed as a confirmation to a positive screening result. The individual on probation will fail the screen if taking high levels of ibuprofen or certain over-the-counter sinus medication. With no GC/MS to back up the screen, the individual goes back to jail for simply taking too much of or the wrong medications.
If taking a probation test the best choice is abstinence. If the individual chooses not to follow this path, the two best choices of products are Quick Fix synthetic urine or the Absolute Detox Drink.
Inconclusive Results
There are several types of results on a drug test other than pass or fail. Two of these are sample too dilute, or unable to obtain valid results. These two results sound similar but are very different in the laboratory's viewpoint.
Sample too Dilute - This simply mean too much water or liquid was consumed before the test. The creatine and or specific gravity were too low because the sample was too diluted. This can happen for lots of reason like drinking coffee, exercising in the morning or intentionally diluting the sample to pass a drug test. When this happens, the labs ask the individual to return and provide another sample. By law, an individual can not be fired for continually providing samples that are too dilute. For a pre-employment drug screen, most employees will give a candidate only two chances to provide an adequate sample.
Unable to Obtain Valid Results - These results are from a smoker who fit in one or more of the following categories:
1. Tester is a heavy smoker (daily)
2. The tester took the test in the morning
3. The tester skipped breakfast
4. The tester is more than 20 pounds over weight
5. Tester used Urine LuckTM additive.
6. The lab was unable to find an adulterant
The tester smokes a lot so the EMIT screen is highly positive, which indicates marijuana usage. The sample is then sent on to the GC/MS for confirmation. The confirmation comes back negative for marijuana, but the original screen showed highly positive. Now the lab has conflicting results with a highly positive screen and negative GC/MS due to the use of Urine LuckTM.
At this point the lab suspects usage of adulterant and looks for tail tell signs such as acids, chromates, gluteraldhyde, nitrites, or pyridine. When no additive is detected the EMIT and GC/MS are performed again to rule out human error. When the second set of results come back similar to the first set of results, the sample is ruled unsuitable.
The tester will then be asked to come back in and provide another sample. The tester can pass this test by getting the screen to be only positive and not highly positive. This is accomplished via careful preparation. Basically the individual needs to stop burning fat and lower the THCA content of their urine. The following is a list of what to do.
To Lower THCA Levels in Urine:
1. Stop smoking
2. No heavy exercise within 48 hours of test
3. Take a vitamin B complex with each meal 48 hours before test
4. If your stomach permits, take two Aspirin with each meal
5. Schedule test for the afternoon
6. Urinate 6-8 times before test
7. Eat lots of proteins and carbohydrates
8. Don't skip meals, especially breakfast (3 per day)
9. Avoid foods high in sugar, fruits, and fruit juices
10. Drink lots of fluids.
11. Relax.
Urine Constituents
Urinalysis is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools used in the medical field today. Hundreds of tests can be performed on individual urine to determine the condition of the donor. Urine contains thousands of different types of compounds. It is literally the aqueous trash of the body. A cup of coffee has over ten thousand compounds alone. Drug testing laboratories have narrowed the choice down to two or three tests for determination of a suitable sample. If the urine sample falls out of the parameters the sample will be labeled "too dilute, unsuitable, or adulterated" depending on which parameter is incorrect.
pH - is a relative measure of acidity or basically, with a range of 0-14. In the middle is 7.0 which is considered neutral. Acids have low pHs usually less than 1. Bases, such as bleach have high pHs around 10.5. Urine samples must have a pH in the range of 4.5 - 9.0. Both acids and bases will destroy drug metabolites, so the labs check to see if any are present. If a chemical additive is used, it should leave the pH relatively unchanged, within the 4.5 - 9.0 ranges.
Specific Gravity (SG) - is a fancy word for density. Simply drinking tons of water can fool a drug test. By measuring the SG a lab can detect if the donor is trying to beat a drug test by dilution. If the sample is too dilute, the SG of the urine sample will be below 1.005 g/ml. A lab result like this might come back as inclusive; test not performed, or sample too dilute. It is against the law to fail an individual for providing sample(s) which are too dilute. On the flip side of the coin is high density. If a sample has a density above 1.020 g/ml, then an additive has been used. It is considered proof of adulteration if the SG is at this level and is legal to fail an individual for having a SG above 1.020 g/ml.
Creatinine - is a measure of kidney functions to determine how dilute or concentrated a urine sample is. The creatinine has to be below 20 mg/dl for the sample to be considered too dilute. Creatinine levels above the 20 mg/dl are considered acceptable.
Creatinine is found in all muscle tissue and originally begins as creatine. Creatine passes through the body in two ways. First is consumption as it is found in all types of meat. The second is production by the body. As muscles are broken down and rebuilt creatine is converted creatinine. Creatinine in high levels is toxic, and so the kidneys filter out the creatinine from the blood and pass it on to the bladder. Creatinine extraction from the blood is at a very constant rate and the level in the urine is constant varying only with the length between urinations. Therefore creatinine levels less than 20 mg/dl indicate a bladder which is continually being emptied in an attempt to pass a drug test.
Labs sometimes look at other constituents of urine with a ten-panel dipstick called a multistick. The ten tests on the multistick are:
1. Leukocytes
2. Nitrite
3. Urobilinogen
4. Protein
5. pH
6. Blood
7. Specific Gravity
8. Ketone
9. Bilirubin
10. Glucose
Suspected Adulterated Sample
Drug testing is supposed to be a precise science. For a urine sample to be positive the lab must give a qualitative (what) and quantitative (how much) analysis of the drug or drug metabolite found in the urine. This simply means identifying what was found and how much. The labs are not allowed to report “some bad substances were found in the urine”. The information from the labs must be confirmed via two methods; a screen and confirmation to make sure the sample is truly positive. As explained below, this rigorous testing procedure is also applied to the detection of adulterants.
DOT certified labs are required to check for adulterants in each sample. However, the DOT requires labs to follow a certain protocol to ensure the samples are correctly handled. Every sample accused of adulteration must be confirmed via two different methods (tests) per the DOT guidelines.
The first test usually occurs at the point of care facility where the sample is taken. The nurse or technician will use a colormeteric dipstick to check creatinine, pH, specific gravity and nitrite. The nitrite patch on the dipstick is very non-selective and will give a false positive for nitrites and over a hundred different compounds. For this reason a “wet chemistry test” must be performed for a positive nitrite results on the dipstick. The wet chemistry test must include the quantitative and qualitative results of the nitrite confirmation. In cases dealing with nitrite adulteration, the court system has ruled laboratories are required to use an ion selective procedure to determine if the sample is “forensically defensible” as proof of adulteration.
Often laboratories or Medical Review Offices (MRO) will suspect an individual of adulterating a urine sample. After failing to find an adulterant, the labs will often place a call to the urine donor. At this point the labs will “shake down” the donor and ask what the donor placed in the urine sample. Any self-confession to the labs over the phone can be used against a donor as a failed drug test. The burden of proof is on the laboratory to show the sample was adulterated. The best situation for the donor is to admit to nothing.
A similar situation is speeding. If a cop pulls you over and asks you how fast you were going and you respond 85 mph, he can then write you a ticket for 85. In reverse, if a cop pulls you over and says you were doing 85 mph, you are in turn allowed to ask them how you were clocked. Whenever you are confronted with positive results for drugs or adulteration protect your rights in the same manner. Always ask what two methodologies were used and what level did they test positive at. In this situation the urine donor should ask the lab the following questions.
1. What are the qualitative and quantitative levels of the adulterant found in the urine?
2. What two separate methodologies were run to determine the presence of this adulterant as required by DOT guidelines?
3. Was one of these methodologies a wet chemistry test or just a simple dipstick?
4. Can I see the documentation showing that this adulterant is not supposed to be found in urine?
5. Can I see a report of this information above printed on your company’s letterhead?
6. Is it with in my rights to see the previously requested report?
The MRO is a medical doctor. For this reason he has to be truthful with you or they are liable for malpractice. Be sure to see all of the information on company letterhead and do not accept any verbal information. It is your right and future, so ask the correct questions.
Bleach - For some reason labs commonly refer to any unusual samples as spiked with bleach. This statement by the labs usually indicates a level of incompetence on the lab or Medical Review Office. It is generally believed that the bleach comment by the lab is used to scare the donor into a confession of adulterating a sample. Bleach is liquid chlorine as used in most swimming pools. The odor of bleach is extremely obvious even at a low level of part per billion. Furthermore, with 100,000+ pools or so in America, bleach has become one of the easiest and most precise chemicals to detect. It seems common sense that if a maintenance man can accurately detect the levels of bleach in a pool, a trained lab technician would be able to correctly identify bleach in a urine sample. The determination of bleach is simple. A total chlorine and free chlorine level will accurately reflect the levels in the urine sample. Any sample adulterated with bleach will have a free or total chlorine level above 2 ng/ml or 2 parts per million.
In addition to asking the questions listed above, the following questions also pertain specifically to Bleach.
1. Is there chlorine in bleach?
2. Can you smell the chlorine in bleach?
3. Can you smell the chlorine in my urine sample?
4. What was the total chlorine level?
5. What was the free chlorine level?
Halogen - More commonly samples are coming back from the lab as adulterated with the presence of Halogens. It is normal for halogens to be present in urine. The Halogen group includes Fluoride, Chloride, Bromine, and Iodine. If there are no halogens present in an individual’s urine they are dead. Every human urine sample in the history of this planet has had some halogens in it. Table salt is sodium chloride. The chloride is a halogen and therefore it would be impossible not to have chloride in your urine. Sodium fluoride is used on teeth. The fluoride is a halogen. It is normal for an individual to have 2-3 different types of halogens present in their urine.
Another source of halogens is Iodine tablets. The tablets have become very popular in the post 9/11 era. There is a fear of attacks on the country’s nuclear power plants. One of the first types of cancer associated with nuclear contamination is thyroid cancer. It has been widely publicized the chance of Thyroid cancer can be reduced by supplemental iodine. It is a shame people are failing their drug tests because they are afraid of more terrorist attacks on this country.
There are no upper limits or toxic limits for halogens in the urine. Therefore, it is improper for a lab to fail an individual for the presence of halogens or high halogens in the urine. In this situation the urine donor should ask the lab the following questions.
1. Are there any halogens in table salt?
2. Is there anything wrong with taking potassium iodine tablets?
3. What are the upper limits or toxic limits of halogens in urine, and where did the referenced data come from?
Oxidants - The same testing criteria applied to nitrites must also be applied to oxidants and other adulterants. Oxidants are a class of compounds containing hundreds of different compounds. According to prior court cases, the labs can’t determine an oxidant is present without specifying the exact oxidant that is present. The oxidant needs to be narrowed down to a single compound and not listed as a general class like “oxidant”.
Another source of oxidants in our system is from Nitrites. Nitrites are found in drinking water and in bacon or pork as food preservatives. Nitrites are also produced naturally within the body during a urinary or bladder infection. Still another source of oxidants is chromates from vitamins. Most weight loss programs or body building programs have chromium picolinate to help you burn fat. There are no scientifically determined upper limits or toxic limits for oxidants in the urine. Therefore, it is improper for a lab to fail any individual for the presence of oxidants or high oxidants in a urine sample.
Other Adulterating Compounds
Acids - Acids were the very first type of urine adulterants used back in the early to mid 1990's. Hydrochloric and nitric acid were the most common types of acids used. The marijuana metabolite under goes a 10-50% deteriorating in an acid environment. The laboratories easily stopped the use of acid as an adulterant by simply checking the pH. Any sample with a pH of less than 4.0 was considered adulterated. The use of an acid based additive usually left the pH 3 or less.
Chromates (Cr2O4) - Chromates are a common compound found in vitamins and dietary aids such as Metabolife, and body building formulas. Chromates can be called several things including, chrome, chromium 6, chromium picolinate, all of these are the same compounds under different names. The chromates give the urine an orangish color. Chromium 3 is a different species all together and has a green color. If an individual adds chrome to a urine sample, and it turns green, the chrome has been converted from chromium 6 to chromium 3, indicating the presence of a reducing sugar. This is common in diabetes individual. In the appropriate doses, chromates are vital to the body for muscular development/toning and mental health. Older formulations of Urine LuckTM 5.4 - 5.9 contain the compounds of chromates. If an individual has too high of level of chromates in their urine, the sample may be labeled as adulterated. However, if the individual claims to be taking the dietary aids three to four times higher than recommend dosage, the adulteration claims from chromates maybe waived.
Glutaraldehyde - Is the compound, which was used for the first formulation by Clear Choice. Because the compound is highly toxic there is no reason for it to be in urine. Labs routinely check for the compound with a multi-stick, which has a patch for aldehydes which Glutaraldehyde is a type of. If the Glutaraldehyde is detected the sample is labeled adulterated and the test is not performed.
Nitrites (NO2) - Nitrites can be found in foods such as poultry, pork, and drinking water. The body can also produce nitrites naturally, however, this is usually a sign of a urinary tract infection. For this, small amounts of nitrite are permitted in the urine. Any sample with nitrites above 500 mg/ml (microgram per milliliter) is consider forensically defensible as proof of adulteration. Klear and all the Urine Luck 3.0 series had nitrites in the formulations. This is why the labs continue to check for the nitrite.
Pyridine - Is one of the compounds found in Urine Luck 5.0 - 5.3. This compound can also be found in some over-the-counter medications such as Uristat and Azo-Standard. These products are used to ease the pain of a bladder infection. For this reason a tester can normally "get off" if pyridine is found in the urine. The tester must purchase medicine at the drug store and take it back to the lab. The tester can normally get a second test once they show the lab that the only ingredient in these over-the-counter products has pyridine.
Drug Test Myths
Golden Seal - This is a solid or liquid form of a root extract. The root supposedly has special properties to rid the body of harmful toxins. This might be true for some toxins, however Golden Seal does not rid the body of marijuana. How the false story of taking Golden Seal to pass a drug test got started is not known. There have been multiple scientific studies performed to confirm Golden Seal does not work at all.
Lots of people have passed drug tests after using Golden Seal and swear by it. These people were probably not big pot smokers. The Golden Seal did not help them out; it was the gallons of water they had to drink with Golden Seal. These people passed by simple dilution of their urine sample. They would have passed the drug test anyway by just drinking the gallons of water without the Golden Seal in it.
How to Prepare for a Marijuana Drug Test - Most people taking a drug test are concerned with marijuana because it stays in the body the longest. This is because the body stores the drug metabolite in the fat cells of the body. The short term and long term approach to cleaning the body for a marijuana drug test are exactly opposite.
Day 0 - 2 before the test- Stop smoking, eat large meals, no skipping meals, no exercising, no sugars fruits or fruit juices. This is the exact opposite of the steps above. If the marijuana is excreted the individual will test positive. At this point the tester does not want to excrete any marijuana but keep it all in their bodies. This is accomplished by preventing fat from burning. It is very simple; get rid of fat and fail your test. Therefore the tester must stop the body from burning fat by eating correctly and not exercising.
Days 2 - 30 before the test - Stop smoking, diet and exercise. These three steps which burn fat also rid the body of the marijuana metabolite. The marijuana metabolites are stored in the fat cells. To keep from testing positive the marijuana has to be removed from the fat cells in the body. It is very simple; get rid of fat and get rid of marijuana. The marijuana is then excreted through the urine and bowels. However, the future tester does not want to be excreting marijuana on the day of the test.
