From:
Date: 05 Oct 2005
Time: 11:01:11 -0700
Remote Name: 12.10.202.94
With the new DOT guidelines, MRO's have been seeing many more "invalid" tests than before.
<start editorial comments> My own personal feelings are that there are little financial motivations for the labs, nor are there any tough regulatory requirements for the lab to really look and seek out these adulterants, so we are seeing many more invalids than ever before. <end editorial comments>
Your situation is not uncommon. We have had two recent cases similar to yours, both were reported as invalid (one was possible oxidant activity, and the other was GC/MS interference), where the employer decided to send the specimen elsewhere for adulterant testing, where both were found to have adulterants. However in the vast majority of the other invalids we find, the employer does not wish to go further than the original testing, and after we interview the donor with the "usual" questions (are you healthy, are you taking any medicines, did you put anything in the cup other than your own urine, etc.), the results are reported as an invalid urine, cancelled test, with the recommendation for an immediate retest without notice to the donor until right before the test. If the donor, who tested positive to adulterants, wishes his split to be reconfirmed in a timely manner, we process the request in the normal manner. There is another thread here about split confirmation of an adulterated specimen.