The chart below outlines our Cheat Protection Levels. If a product has cheat protection included you will see the codes under “Drug Test Detects” on the product page. Also, the adulteration codes are defined under Section 3 below.
Our Drug Testing Kits with Cheat Protection 3 or 6 screen for 3 or all 6 of the below listed adulterants. For your convenience each corresponding product page displays abbreviations of adulteration tested for in the section “Drug Test Detects”
1. How Employees Cheat on Drug and Alcohol Tests
Urine testing is the most commonly used method of employment drug testing. Cheaters routinely try to tamper with Urine Drug Testing by the following methods:
Dilution
Adulterating employee drug test urine samples by reducing the concentration of drugs is accomplished by diluting the drug testing sample by either adding water to the specimen or by over-hydration (by drinking unusual amounts of water or diuretics like herbal tea, coffee or soda prior to the employee drug test) or by taking commercial products like QuickKlean or Mary Jane Super Clean 13 that claim to mask employee drug use.
Addition
Adulterating employee drug test urine specimens by adding bleach, vinegar, eye drops, apple juice or soap are methods often used to mask the use of drugs. Chemical adulterants are also used.
Substitution
Another method of attempting to create a false negative is by substituting urine from another person or an animal. Substitution is detected through the temperature of the employee drug test specimen.
All of these methods of cheating on an employee drug test are addressed by certified drug testing laboratories. Drug testing for dilution or addition determines certain urinary characteristics such as creatinine, pH, and specific gravity and detect the presence of glutaraldehyde, nitrite and oxidants /pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC). Substitution is detected by the temperature of the employee drug test specimen or by determining the origin of the specimen.
2. How to Prevent Employees From Cheating on Alcohol and Drug Tests
On-site
The primary solution to tampering with on-site employee drug testing specimens is to insure that collection of the drug test specimen is done under strict conditions. This normally means having same-sex personnel available at the workplace to monitor collection and making sure that access to employee drug test specimens is strictly guarded.
In addition to the employee drug tests done by certified labs, products recommended by Employee Drug Testing Ace that can effectively prevent workplace drug testing cheating are:
AD Drug Tests: iCup AD, Generic Dip Card AD, Key Cup AD. You can test with confidence with our tamper-proof urine drug tests as well as our alcohol and saliva employee drug tests.
Temperature Strip. The temperature strip determines if employee drug test urine is “fresh”. Anything below a defined temperature range is considered a positive drug test.
Beaker Cup with Temperature Strip and 90×53 Blue Top Cup with Temperature Strip. These employee drug test urine cups include temperature strips.
iScreen™ Adulteration / AD Drug Test Strips provide Cheat Protection Level 3 or 6, depending upon how many adulterants are tested.
Instant Bluing Tablets prevent use of toilet water for adulteration of employee drug test samples.
Tamper Evident Seals effectively prevent adulteration of an employee drug test specimen. All drug test kits come with a tamper-proof seal enclosed. Additional seals can also be purchased.
Off-site
Choosing the right laboratory for off-site collection is critical to preventing drug test cheaters. We provide the convenience of 12,000+ certified employee drug testing collection sites with SAMSHA certified Confirmation Services included to make your employee drug testing and pre-employment drug and alcohol screening completely secure and convenient.
3. How Employee Drug Testing Laboratories Prevent Cheating on Drug Tests
Adulteration is the tampering of an employee drug test urine specimen with the intention of producing false negative drug test results. Laboratories easily detect employee drug test urine specimens altered by dilution or adulterants by looking for levels of:
1. Creatinine, CRE, CR
A waste product, creatinine is an amino-acid contained in muscle tissue and found in urine. Normal urine creatinine levels are from 20 to 350 mg/dl. The absence of creatinine (> 5 mg/dl) is indicative of a urine specimen that is not normal for humans, indicating that excessive amounts of water or diuretics such as herbal tea have been used to try and flush the system.
2. Nitrites, NIT, NT
Positive results for nitrites usually indicate the presence of commonly used commercial adulterants such as Klear or Whizzies. They work by oxidizing the major cannabinoid metabolite THC-COOH.2. Normal urine should contain no trace of nitrite. Positive results generally indicate the presence of an adulterant, although levels up to 3.6 mg/dl may be due to urinary tract infections, bacterial contamination or improper storage.
3. Glutaraldehyde, GLUT, GLT, GT
Aldehydes are not normally found in an employee drug test urine specimen. Adulterants such as UrinAid and Clear Choice contain glutaraldehyde, which may cause false negative drug screening results by disrupting the enzyme used in some immunoassay tests. The presence of aldehyde in an employee drug testing specimen is generally an indicator of adulteration.
4. PH, pH
Normal pH levels should be in the range of 4.0 to 9.0. These identify the presence of alkaline or acidic adulterants, such as vinegar, in the employee drug test urine.
5. Specific Gravity, SG
The normal range is from 1.003 to 1.030. Any values outside of this range could be the result of employee drug test specimen dilution or adulteration.
6. Oxidants and PCC, OX/PCC
Oxidizing agents such as bleach and hydrogen peroxide in the employee drug test urine are generally indications of adulteration. Pyridinium chlorochromate (sold under the brand name UrineLuck) is a commonly used adulterant. The presence of high levels of antioxidants in the urine, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), may result in a false negative employee drug test result.
Laboratories are continuously updating their ability to thwart employee drug test cheaters and to detect commercial adulterants as they come on the market. Employee Drug Testing Ace provides more than 12,000 of the best SAMHSA certified employee drug testing labs and off-site collection sites across the U.S. as well as the most safe, secure employment drug testing kits and services.
