Drug Testing: Adulterated Specimens on the Rise

A provider of drug testing supplies recently tested 1500 employees from select industries regarding the top drug test cheating methods.

A single Google search of "how to pass a drug test" will pull millions of pages from companies to message boards giving advice, products, and tips on how to successfully pass a drug test.

The findings are becoming more and more prevalent as technology struggles to keep up. Drug testing companies are constantly researching new techniques to catch adulterated substances.

The three most popular cheating methods are:

1. Specimen Dilution: whereby candidates saturate the body with fluids or substances that dilute the metabolites that are tested.

2. Chemical Screen: using chemicals to mask the appearance of drugs in urine.

3. Urine Substitution: using a urine sample which does not belong to the donor.

Of the individuals polled, 55% responded that they attempted to cheat on the drug test. 45% of those attempted to dilute the substance, 23% used a chemical screen, 13% admitted to using other methods, such as urine substitution to try to cheat.

With statistics like this, employers do have cause to worry. But using a random testing program can significantly increase the likelihood of positives, as wells using hair follicle testing which is air-tight against all the methods listed above.