New Report Shows Synthetic Urine Usage Increased In 2015

In accordance to workplace drug testing report of Diagnostic Laboratory Services (DLS), synthetic urine usage has increased in the 1st quarter of 2015 if compared to 1st quarter of 2014, but still stays stable at 0.9% from the last quarter of previous year.

Synthetic urine is a commercial product, which is created to calibrate drug testing equipment, but also used to hide illegal substance use in drug tests.

“We were a little bit amazed to see the increased level of synthetic urine usage as it reduced substantially last few years after we found a method to identify it in 2010. I could merely guess that there are new modern brands in the marketplace, which have improved undetectable formula, for example Quick Fix” explained Carl Linden, who is working as scientific director of toxicology at DLS.

Laboratory reports also about the most prevailing detected drugs trends: use of amphetamine, a lot more commonly called “meth”, has grown to 0.9% from 0.6% in 1st quarter last year, but did not increase from the last quarter of 2014 as compared to 1st quarter of this year.

“It’s a frustration. You can see one drug increase, another decrease, and you realize that it doesn’t actually going to end,” said Linden. “That’s a big problem, because drug use doesn’t look like reducing.”

Marijuana remains the most used drug and its detection, as the result that most often appears in workplace drug testing, remains stable this year at 2.5 %, similarly to the last quarter of 2014. Opiate usage decreased from 0.4% to 0.2%, and also cocaine has remained in the 0.2 - 0.3 % range for 5 consecutive quarters. DLS’ quarterly report usually includes data taken from seven to ten thousand tested samples.

Although few states already unallowed a number of kinds of ‘legal’ synthetic drugs, like bath salts, they cannot be subject of test during usual workplace drug testing procedure in accordance with federal and state rules. Nevertheless, in special cases, like demand of a physician, test for synthetic drugs can be conducted.

Diagnostic Laboratory Services is a medical testing laboratory that provides a wide range of routine and even hidden test services, including test for synthetic urine and other adulteration checks, as well as the latest forensic toxicology and drug abuse testing services in the Hawaii. The organization employs above 500 people and has branches all through Hawaii, Guam as well as Saipan.