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Related Experiment Videos

Adulterants causing false negatives in illicit drug testing.

S L Mikkelsen1, K O Ash

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84132.

Clinical Chemistry
|November 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Urine drug test results can be falsely negative due to in vitro adulteration. Common household products can invalidate enzyme immunoassays (EIA), necessitating careful specimen assessment and observed collection.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Illicit drug use necessitates reliable drug testing.
  • Enzyme immunoassays (EIA) are common for drug screening.
  • Specimen adulteration is a method to circumvent drug testing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate common adulterants used by drug users.
  • To determine if adulterated urine specimens can be identified.
  • To assess the impact of adulterants on EIA drug assays.

Main Methods:

  • Eight common adulterants were tested on 222 EIA-positive urine specimens.
  • Specimens were analyzed for pH, relative density, color, and turbidity.
  • Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) confirmed initial drug presence.

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Main Results:

  • NaCl increased relative density; Drano, bleach, and vinegar altered pH.
  • Golden-seal tea darkened urine; liquid soap caused turbidity.
  • Lemon juice and Visine did not affect assays; not all adulterants were detected.

Conclusions:

  • Specimen adulteration can lead to false-negative EIA drug test results.
  • Assessing urine pH, relative density, and appearance is crucial.
  • Observed urine collection is recommended to prevent tampering.