Urine Dilution-A Way To Beat The Test

Urine Dilution....A Way to Beat the Test

In the previous post we discussed the issue of urine drug test tampering, either by consuming fluids or by adding substances to the urine sample. Today we will discuss an approach to hiding drug use that is inexpensive and may be the most effective.

The simple activity of consuming fluids may have a profound effect on the dilution of urine that is produced. Anyone involved in the supervision and/or collection of urine samples from donors undergoing drug testing has seen urine that "looks like water." Urine samples that are virtually clear are very dilute. By consuming excess fluids a donor can dilute his or her urine sample by a factor of 10 or 20 times. What this means is that anything dissolved in that urine, including drugs and drug metabolites, will exist in this diluted urine at concentrations 10-20 times LESS then they would in a normal urine. This may effectively lower the concentration of drugs and metabolites to levels that prevent detection......the donor has just beaten the urine drug test.

What can be done to prevent this occurence? Not much! While we can determine, after the fact, that a urine is dilute, retesting is required to ascertain potential drug abuse (and this testing will not be representatitive of the individual's condition during the first test).

Testing of other sample types, not prone to the effects of dilution, may be appropriate.