What are Drug Adulterants and What Type of Drug Test Is Best to Detect Them
It is well known by now that a drug free work spaces are the most productive and positive. Companies are cracking down on drug use in the work place, and drug testing is becoming more popular to ensure that employees are staying clean while on the job. However, if an employee knows about an upcoming drug test and is actively using drugs, many times they will use an adulterant to disguise usage in their bodies to pass the test. These products or processes are called drug adulterants.
Before further explaining the types of adulterants that are used and how they can be detected, let us first explain why a urine sample is the best method for detecting such adulterants. Urine is the best method for picking up drug adulterants because there are elements of our urine that should be consistently be in a specific range if not altered. If unaltered, urine will have a specific Ph level, creatine level, and will be oxidant-free. When being testing a lab, a urine drug test will show each of these levels and detect if there are any unusual numbers found in samples. In the event that a result shows unusual levels in any of these normal characteristics, it most likely points to an adulterant being used by that person. Now that we have discussed why urine samples are the best course of method for detecting adulterants, let’s dive into some of the most commonly used ones by people to pass drug tests.
An adulterant can come in a variety of forms, but essentially it is any product/process that a person uses to pass a drug test that they normally would have failed. Detox pills/liquids, water pills, and synthetic urine are common adulterants used to pass drug tests. A detox or water pill helps the body flush out any drugs that can be found in a person’s body. These adulterants dilute possible drug usage to minimal levels that can go undetected by drug tests. However, this dilution will also affect the Ph levels of the sample signaling a red flag for adulterants. Same goes for an excess amount of water found in samples. This will not only leave trace levels of other chemicals that will appear in the results, but it also decreases the natural level of creatine found in a person’s urine. All of which is easily detected in urine drug tests. Synthetic urine is becoming a more popular method used by people who would normally fail a drug test. Synthetic urine must be kept a reasonably warm temperature and if not, it can easily be detected in the results of a urine sample that the sample did not come from a human.
Cheating on a drug test should be taken seriously. If a result has been tampered with by the presence of adulterants, it is important for employers to sit down with these employees and have a serious discussion.
