NCJ Number
174616
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 60 Issue: 6 Dated: October 1998 Pages: 122-127
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Corrections practitioners need to be aware of the current methods of adulteration in drug testing and steps that can be taken to facilitate the detection of tainted urine samples.
Abstract
Legal issues are important in drug testing programs, and the most legally defensible drug testing method is to screen urine samples with the enzyme-mediated immunoassay technique (EMIT) and then submit positives from this step to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). EMIT is comprised of a variety of tests for commonly abused drugs that use specific antibodies to detect the presence of drugs in urine. GC/MS techniques are the most definitive in confirming the presence of drugs in urine. Basic elements needed for an effective and legally defensible drug testing program include a clear and comprehensive policy, secure collection, chain of custody procedures, retained positive samples, an initial screening test, a sophisticated confirmatory test, a medical review officer, retest of retained positive samples in disputed cases, and a quality control system. With the availability of different preparatory procedures for urine samples using GC/MS, the probability that a urine sample will come back falsely positive is virtually nonexistent. Further, studies reveal no situation where both the screening test (immunoassay) and the confirmatory test (GC/MS) cause false positives. Adulterating techniques attempted by inmates and others who want to escape detection of a positive urine sample are described. 32 references and 1 table