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3.TEST STANDARDS AND ACCURACY
The accuracy of drug testing is an area
where I've decided to neglect all statistics. Those who oppose drug testing
provide numbers indicating a high level of false positives. Those who favor drug
testing provide numbers indicating high levels of accuracy. The fact is that
accuracy varies widely from lab to lab. Generally speaking, NIDA labs are
accurate. Clinton writes:
NIDA (The National Institute of Drug Abuse) is the government organization
responsible for regulating the drug-testing industry. The vast majority of urine
drug screens done these days conform to NIDA specs, and ALL testing associated
with the government (department of transportation, etc.) complies with the NIDA
standard. It is NIDA that decides what the "safe" cutoffs are to avoid false
positives.... Despite what you might hear on the net, urinalysis, if done
correctly, is a very accurate scientific procedure. I know of no labs that
simply report the results of the initial EMIT screening without confirming the
sample on GC/MS. The fact is, labs WANT you to test negative, because then they
only have to run an EMIT test on your urine (a few cents). If you test positive,
they must then confirm the positive result on GC/MS, which is considerably more
expensive. . . . Incidentally, the machine which tests the hair is a relative of
the GC/MS, but is FAR more precise. It can accurately detect levels of THC in a
solution that are below 1 ng/mL!
CAP (College of American Pathologists) also certifies laboratories the way
NIDA does. NIDA keeps it's labs in check by sending positive and negative
double-blind samples. Lab personnel does not know what samples came from NIDA.
If the lab results are wrong, NIDA may take away the labs certification. Only
labs that perform the GC/MS on site can be NIDA certified. Labs that send
samples to another laboratory for GC/MS confirmation are ineligible for NIDA
certification. "Drug testing when done properly with all required controls and
confirmation procedures is very accurate and reliable" (anon1).
Not all labs are NIDA/CAP certified. Some labs do not properly and thoroughly
clean the GC/MS equipment. Some labs don't even do a GC/MS confirmation! Some
labs use cheap alternative methods to reduce expenses.
Many human errors occur in labs and cause inaccurate results. Some are
careless or irresponsible errors, and some errors are accidents. Human error can
ruin the results of ANY test, screening or confirmation GC/MS.
The only lab you should be concerned with is the one that is testing you.
Only Federal jobs require NIDA standards. Your typical private employer may use
any lab s/he chooses, which would very likely be the least expensive. Businesses
don't always choose NIDA labs that follow-up a positive screening test with a
confirmation GC/MS.
3.1 Procedures used:
In the workplace, an EMIT screening is
typically used, with a CG/MS confirmation if the EMIT is positive. However, this
is not a rule; employers can, and some do, use unusual procedures. Some
employers use the RIA, and some use the hair test. The government uses RIA. They
may or may not supervise the subject. Olympic athletes must be monitored by
courier after a competition. The courier stays with the athlete until the
athlete urinates, with a time frame of up to sixty minutes.
3.2 False positives:
No laboratory process is completely free
from error. The GC/MS test is virtually error free, but the EMIT is far from
accurate. There are some false positives you should avoid if you're getting an
EMIT test. Take this seriously; false positives run high. If you know that there
will be a GC/MS confirmation test, you can disregard this section. It would be
too lengthy to list all of the false positives here. Jeff Nightbyrd's
"Conquering the Urine Tests" pamphlet lists a majority of the false positives in
detail. (If you are clean, want to get back at the testing industry for
conducting these absurd tests, and know that there will be a confirmation test,
you could consume several false positives. This would force labs to pay for the
high priced GC/MS test, eventually drive up test expenses. You will still pass
the test as long as you didn't use any true positives.)
3.2.1 Ibuprofen:
Ibuprofen is a common pain reliever that
(even in low dosages) used to cause a false THC positive on the EMIT test. The
EMIT has been changed to use a different enzyme to eliminate false positives due
to Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen in very high doses will still interfere with both the
EMIT and the GC/MS. There is some conflicting data here because some sources say
that the GC/MS tests can distinguish between Ibuprofen and THC (as well as other
over-the-counter drugs).
3.2.2 Cold remedies, pain
relievers, hay fever remedies, & diet pills:
Decongestants and diet pills result in false
positives for amphetamine use in one third of the test samples given to 40 of
the countries leading laboratories. There are roughly 300 over-the-counter drugs
that cause false positives on the EMIT.
3.2.3 Antibiotics:
Certain antibiotics (like Amoxicillin) are
claimed to cause a positive for heroin or cocaine. My expert source was unable
to verify this, so I regret that there is some uncertainty here.
3.2.4 Melanin (black skin):
Melanin is the brown pigment that protects
your skin from UV rays. It was raised as a discrimination issue in the 1980's,
and argued that melanin's molecular structure is similar to that of a THC
metabolite. Subsequent research revealed flaws in the data. Melanin was found to
have no effect on THC metabolite testing.
3.2.5 DHEA:
DHEA taken by AIDS patients will cause a
false positive for anabolic steroid use.
3.2.6 Dental treatment:
Caine products (like novacaine) used in
dentistry have been known to cause false positives for cocaine.
3.3 True positives (legitimate): Some legal products actually contain small
amounts of illegal chemicals. All tests, including the GC/MS, will test you
positive because the metabolites derived from the true positive are identical to
the metabolites of the illegal drugs. One exception: poppy seeds will not cause
a positive GC/MS (explained below).
3.3.1 Poppy seeds:
Poppy seeds, usually on breads, contain
traces of morphine, and lead to positives for opiates. According to Dr. Grow,
eating a pastry filled with poppy seeds will bring results showing that you are
a *high level* opiate user. Harold Crossley, a nationally known chemical
dependency expert, said you would have to eat 100 poppy seed bagels to score a
positive on a drug test. When taken into account that very few poppy seeds are
sprinkled on bagels, you can see that poppy seeds from a hundred poppy seed
bagels will easily fill a single large pastry. Purim cookies, a Jewish food
known as Hamantashen, may have five to six tablespoons of poppy seeds. A couple
Purim cookies may cause a positive test. Poppy seeds can be distinguished from
illicit drugs on the GC/MS test. Although poppy seeds have the same metabolites
as opium, these metabolites are shown to have different patterns when viewed
with the GC/MS.
3.3.2 Testosterone supplements:
Orchic extract (found in bull's balls) will
give a positive for anabolic steroid use. It is a legitimate substance that
causes the test to imply that you abuse steroids.
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