Specimen Validity Testing

Although urine tests are the most reliable, people can fake pee to pass drug test. Urine samples for drug testing undergo specimen validity testing (SVT) to identify possible instances of specimen manipulation.

The purpose of specimen validity testing (SVT), also known as nitrate testing or Test Sure (TS), is to identify instances of substitution, adulteration, or dilution in a drug screen sample.

Substitution: It refers to submitting a specimen that is not representative of human urine. Extreme values for creatinine and specific gravity can help determine whether this is pure water or water with salt added.

Adulteration: A specimen is adulterated if something is added to it after collection. If the specimen contains a drug or drug metabolite, the addition of the product is meant to hide its existence or chemically eliminate it. It's possible that testing reagents were tainted by adding an adulterant substance.

An adulterant may be ingested or added to the urine sample to avoid a positive drug test result. Common household goods and particular chemical additives can be easily purchased online and marketed as "cleaning agents."

Dilution: The term "dilution" refers to the effects that occur when a person drinks a lot of water right before donating urine, which is common practice. Dilution-compliant samples are not usually viewed as dubious contributions. Donors may try to dilute their urine by drinking considerable amounts of fluids. The lab and our medical review officer (MRO) will have more data to evaluate the urine sample's authenticity if creatinine and specific gravity measurements are also reported.

Dilute substituted and invalid rate

In this article, we have gathered the info which can come in handy, especially if you are going to pass a drug test.

1/10 What is the suitable temperature for urine tests?

Keeping in mind that the average body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal temperature range is 95 degrees to 98 degrees. The normal urine temperature for drug tests is roughly 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some people can ditch pee temperature drug tests saying they have a fever.

2/10 Can labs detect synthetic urine in 2022?

Just as the name implies, synthetic urine is fake urine to pass drug test. Yellow dye and the chemical creatinine make up the bulk of its ingredients.

Synthetic urine can be detected by a lab's pH and validity tests. Whether or not the urine sample has been diluted can be determined using a pH test. However, creatinine and temperature analysis of the urine sample are examples of validity testing.

3/10 Can labs tell the difference between real and synthetic urine?

There are areas where a lab cannot detect fake pee. Those observant enough can detect synthetic pee by testing for the presence of biological components often absent in synthetic urine.

More and more labs and firms are developing better urine-cheating detection and screening technology, which involves examining a wider range of biological markers.

4/10 Which urine indicators are tested?

There are often two main motivations for performing a drug test on a person's urine:

  1. Safety at the workplace.
  2. Formulating a well-considered health plan for the patient.

Because of the professional and legal repercussions of a positive drug test result, some individuals (mostly donors) can also try to hide their urine samples by adding different substances such as chemicals, or detoxifiers.

By concealing their identities, people make it more difficult for doctors to monitor medication adherence, spot drug addiction and prevent the diversion of prescription drugs. They are obstacles for a manager to a safe workplace.

In order to ensure the accuracy of a urine drug test result, specimen validity testing (SVT) is performed. Further investigation into the pee test results is performed to guarantee that the urine sample was legitimately collected from a human being.

To ensure the integrity of a urine sample, Specimen Validity Testing can search for

  • pH
  • Creatinine
  • Specific Gravity
  • Oxidizing Adulterants
  • Nitrites
  • Glutaraldehyde
  •  Pyndinium Chlorochromate

pH

One looks at its pH level to determine if a urine sample is acidic or basic. The normal pH of urine is slightly acidic, although HHS uses a range from 4.5 to 9 for program cut-offs. Urine with a pH value significantly above or below 7 suggests sample adulteration or manipulation. 0.

The pH of 3.0 or above indicates an adulterated specimen.

Creatinine

Humans, like other mammals, produce creatinine as a byproduct of muscle metabolism; this creatinine is generally excreted in the form of urine. According to standard recommendations, creatinine levels in urine samples below 20 mg/dL indicate dilution.

Abnormally high or low creatinine levels may indicate kidney disease, excessive fluid intake, or other health issues.

Specific Gravity

Dissolved particle concentration can be estimated from the specific gravity of urine. Among adults who consume an average amount of water, the typical range for urine-specific gravity is between 1.001 and 1.035, with the majority falling between 1.016 and 1.022.

However, the specific gravity of urine may increase if protein is abundant in the urine. Excessive fluid intake, renal failure, diabetes, and other medical problems can all lead to abnormally low Specific Gravity readings. Dehydration, renal failure, and other physiological conditions can all lead to unusually high Specific Gravity readings.

 

Creatinine

Specific Gravity

Indicates Substitution

≥2 and < 5 mg/dL

> 1.0010 and < 1.0030

Dilute Specimen

≥ 5 and < 20 mg/dL

> 1.0010 and < 1.0030

It can be challenging to identify drugs in the urine if the specimen is diluted, which can happen if the subject drinks a lot of water, if they have a medical condition or if they add liquid to the sample.

Oxidizing Adulterants

Donors introduce oxidizing adulterants such bleach, chromium (VI), iodine, nitrite, etc., to mask the presence of drugs and drug metabolites in a sample. These substances can also harm drug testing reagents.

Nitrites

Urinary tract infections, bacterial contamination, or incorrect storage can cause nitrite levels of up to 3.6 mg/dL in some urine specimens, even though nitrites are not a typical component of urine. Most clinical guidelines agree that a nitrite level above 50 mg/dL is suspicious and indicative of adulteration.

Glutaraldehyde

Since glutaraldehyde is not normally found in human urine, the presence of this chemical in a urine sample suggests that the pee was likely contaminated. However, ketone bodies may show up in urine and interact with the glutaraldehyde pad to produce aberrant colors in states of ketoacidosis, malnutrition, or other metabolic disorders.

Pyridinium Chlorochromate

Since pyridinium chlorochromate is not a naturally occurring component of urine; its presence indicates adulteration. A blue or light turquoise-gray color developing on an SVT strip may also signify the presence of other oxidants.

5/10 What adulterants can be detected?

Multiple contaminants can obstruct screening immunoassays, leading to false-negative drug tests. The following are some typical masking substances used in drug testing:

  1. Table Salt(sodium chloride).
  1. Vinegar for household uses (acetic acid).
  1. Washing bleach liquid (Sodium hypochlorite)
  1. Concentrated lemon juice.
  1. Goldenseal herbal tea (to produce dark urine).
  1. Diluted urine with a creatinine level below 15 mg/mL
  1. Visine Eye Drops (interfere mostly with EMIT assay)

6/10 Basic Parameters for urine to confirm they are valid

Some of the urine parameters usually examined in a biochemistry laboratory were selected for reevaluation of their relevance to clinical practice.

These include:

Specific Parameter

Normal Values

Urine Color

Pale Yellow

Urine Clarity

Clear

Acidity

4.5-8

Specific Gravity

 1.005-1.025

Glucose

≤130 mg/dL

Ketones

Negative

Nitrates

Negative

Proteins

≤150 mg/d

Bilirubin

Negative

White Blood Cells

≤2-5 WBCs/HPF

Red Blood Cells

≤2 RBCs/HPF

7/10 How to cheat a urine drug test in 2022?

To breeze through this test, you need to cleanse your body, either momentarily with a detox drink or permanently with a detox kit.

The late urine submission won’t work because you will be tested again in case of a failed drug test because of urine temperature.

8/10 What type of drug test measures the presence of a drug in the specimen?

Qualitative and quantitative drug testing codes can be found in the Pathology and Laboratory section of the CPT® code book. The results of a qualitative test indicate the presence or absence of an analyte in a sample. One possible qualitative blood test looks for the presence of alcohol.

9/10 What is a negative dilute drug test result?

A dilute negative result on a drug test indicates that the sample had too much water for a reliable analysis. The fundamental metric for determining dilution is the creatinine concentration in the urine sample; if there is no creatinine present, the sample cannot be considered urine.

10/10 FAQs

What is the validity of the urine sample?

If you cannot hand in your urine sample at normal temp for the drug test (96 degrees F), you should place the container inside a plastic bag, make sure the bag is sealed, and then store it in the refrigerator at around 4 degrees Celsius. Keep it for no more than twenty-four hours at the most.

What are the three most fundamental aspects of a urine analysis?

There are three possible elements of a urine test:

  • Visual Analysis: It evaluates the urine for clarity and color.
  • Analyzed under a microscope.
  • The last one is a dipstick analysis.

How does creatinine in the urine tell us about drug use?

During a 24-hour period of "normal" liquid intake, creatinine, a by-product of muscle metabolism, occurs in urine at a reasonably steady level. Therefore, urine creatinine can be employed as a marker identifying a specimen as urine or as an indicator of urine water content.

Conclusion

Urine testing is the gold standard for drug screening, but it has its limitations. Measurements of pH, creatinine, and specific gravity (where necessary), as well as testing for adulterants that may have been introduced to the urine specimen, are all part of the specimen validity testing that helps assure the reliability of the test results.