When is a specimen considered adulterated?

For urine specimens, a specimen is considered adulterated if it is determined that:

• A substance that is not expected to be present in human urine is identified in that specimen,
• A substance that is expected to be present in human urine is identified at a concentration so high that it is not consistent with human urine, or
• The physical characteristics of the specimen are outside the normal expected range of human urine.

For oral-fluid specimens, if a specimen exhibits abnormal characteristics (e.g., unusual odor or color), causes reactions or responses characteristic of an adulterant during initial or confirmatory drug tests, or contains an unidentified substance that interferes with the confirmatory analysis, then the lab may conduct validity testing.

This is found in Subpart F of Part 40.