Can synthetic urine replace authentic urine to “beat” workplace drug testing?

Abstract

Synthetic urine (SU), which was primarily utilized by drug testing laboratories as a matrix for quality control preparations, is now commercially sold and can be used to "fool" a positive drug test. To determine if SU can pass as authentic urine, we challenged Army urine drug testing specimen accessioning and testing procedures using eight different commercial SU products. Adulteration (Sciteck AdultaCheck 6) and Onsite SU (Synthetic UrineCheck™) test strips were also evaluated. Five of the eight SU were identified by physical observation. All SU products screened negative in the drug immunoassay and additionally passed the specimen validity testing (SVT) as authentic urine. Furthermore, SU was not detected as adulterated with the adulteration test strips (Sciteck AdultaCheck 6) but was successfully detected as SU with the On-site synthetic urine (Synthetic UrineCheck™). To deter SU use, direct observation, as utilized by the military, may be recommended during the collection process.

A new automated assay for the detection of synthetic urine in drug testing

“…Human urine validity for drug testing has been reviewed . Kim et al showed how different synthetic urine products, as well as certain household products, can meet normal laboratory examination standards for valid urine specimens. Goggin et al claim a method for detecting synthetic urine.…”

Synthetic Urines in a Buprenorphine Clinic

“…Synthetic urines claim to be an “exact match” to human urine. Some common brand names are: UPass™, Ultimate Gold, Ultra-Pure ® , Magnum Synthetic™, XStream ® , Quick Fix ® , Testclear, and ClearChoice ® 1,3. Additionally, multiple online communities (e.g., www.urineluck.com, www.testclean.com, www.peretto.com, www.hempusa.com) have open forums that detail stories of using synthetic urine and anecdotal reports about which products did and did not work.…”

“…Popular brands online include Clean X ® , Urine AID (containing glutaraldehyde), Klear and Whizzies (containing nitrite), Urine Luck ® , Klear II (containing pyridinium chlorchromate, PCC), and Stealth™ (containing peroxidase and peroxide). These additives promise to “detox” the urine and “destroy unwanted substances 1,3…”

“…Lastly, the market includes prosthetics, which can be used in combination with synthetic urines or on their own, usually with the goal of passing a urine test where sampling collection is observed directly. Products available include The Whizzinator™, The Urinator ™, and Butt Wedge 1–3. The Whizzinator™ employs a prosthetic penis to excrete urine.…”

“…The use of urine analytics for drug screening purposes has been on a continuous rise since the federal government mandated the screening of all federal employees in 1988 1. As is often the case, the market to evade this screening protocol, or create a false-negative, has seen a similar growth 1–3. This case report focused on synthetic urines while on buprenorphine and outlines the numerous ways in which a patient attempted to use synthetic urine to create a false negative on her urine drug screen.…”