Fake Urine is Real Problem

An Association member company has introduced a policy to monitor its drug tests after learning that someone recently used urine made in a laboratory to beat the test. The incident provided a wake-up call to how prevalent the problem is.

Companies market the fake urine using names such as XStream and Quick Fix Synthetic Urine. They list purposes for the product such as animal repellent and “curative powers,” but language in their communications suggests otherwise:

“Don’t be fooled by other manufacturers’ claims about uric acid; if some labs don’t detect urea in a sample, they will report that the sample is non-human or invalid,” says a message from Quick Fix Urine. “Not all synthetic urines contain urea, but you can be assured that Quick Fix Urine will stand up to the test.”

The company, and others in the industry, package the synthetic urine with a heat pack, a temperature-reading strip, and information on the appropriate temperature for human urine.

In a story that appeared recently in the Richland Source in Ohio, Dr. Michael Kelley, with the state’s WorkHealth team, said using synthetic urine to bypass a drug screen is not easy but possible.

“If they get the temperature correct,” he said, “then there’s a good chance they’ll get away with it.”

Kelley continued: “If you think the drug testing policies are valuable, and I do, for the employers and safety of the population, then you shouldn’t be selling something to get around that safety issue. People ought not to be creating things to disrupt that philosophy.” S