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- From: easy!basher@usenet.ins.cwru.edu:
-
- With that out of the way, I will try to answer (some of) your questions.
-
- > 1] How long can LSD be detected in the body?
-
- This varies by the test being used, the detection limit placed on the test,
- the point of collection and type of the sample fluid, the amount of LSD that
- was taken, and the individual in question.
-
- Assuming the testers are using an RIA screening test with the cutoff set
- at 0.1 ng/ml and assuming that the user has recently emptied their bladder,
- then the detection limit for one hit (100 ug) is normally around 30 hours.
- Each doubling of the initial amount will add about 5 hours.
- Thus taking 8 hits will leave a user vulnerable for approximately 2 days.
- (NOTE: This is based on the data in [7])
-
- > 2] What exact form of test can be used to detect LSD in the body?
-
- There are a number of tests which can be used to detect LSD in the body.
-
- Abuscreen, a product of Roche Diagnostic Systems, is a series of
- RadioImmunoAssay (RIA) tests, one of which is used to detect LSD and
- its metabolites in whole blood, serum (blood), urine and stomach contents [1].
- RIA can in theory be used to detect quantities as small as 0.020 nanograms (ng)
- per milliliter (ml) of sample [2]. Laboratory tests have shown that RIA
- results are accurate down to at least 0.1 ng/ml [3]. The manufacturer
- recommends limiting the cutoff to 0.5 ng/ml.
-
- EMIT, a product of Syva Corporation, is another series of tests, one of
- which can be used to detect LSD and its metabolites in serum and urine.
- EMIT stands for Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique.
-
- Both EMIT and Abuscreen are "positive/negative" response tests (much like
- pregnancy tests) which require periodic equipment calibration and consume
- chemicals for each test performed. A basic battery of tests costs approx.
- $15-$25 per person [4]. The basic tests (recommended by NIDA) include
- marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP).
- Normally, unless an (employer) specifically requests the test, an LSD
- assay is not run.
-
- Both Roche and Syva recommend confirmation of positive results by using
- a different test. The usual method of confirming positive results is
- some form of chromatography. These include High Performance Thin Layer
- Chromatography (HPTLC)[3], and different forms of Gas Chromatography/Mass
- Spectrometry (GC/MS)[5][6][7][8][9]. HPTLC and GC/MS can be used to give
- quantitative results as opposed to the Boolean results from EMIT or Abuscreen.
- Laboratory tests have shown that GC/MS test for LSD in urine[6] and
- blood[7] can be accurate down to 0.1 ng/ml. The cost for confirmation
- of a positive screening test is approximately $50-60.
-
- Positive results to either EMIT and RIA are held to be "probable cause"
- by U.S. courts. GC/MS results are held to be "proof" by U.S. courts.
-
- > I am asking for an actual text message containing a short, precise
- > description of each test,
-
- Immunoassays chemicals are created by injecting animals (rabbits, sheep,
- donkey, etc) with the drug to be tested for and an albumin which force
- the animal to produce antibodies. The antibodies are then removed from
- the animal, purified and bottled. In RIA tests, the antibodies are then
- added to the fluid sample with a radioactively labeled chemical. Any of
- the drug (or similar chemicals) found in a sample that is being tested
- will react with this glop and by measuring the radioactivity, the amount
- of drugs can be determined [2][10].
-
- > 3] How can such a test be beaten?
-
- While there is some literature on adulterating urine samples to produce
- false negative results [11], there has been little written that applies
- specifically to the LSD screening tests.
-
- I would suggest you read the article posted by Paul Hager paying particular
- attention to the warning about water intoxication [12]:
-
- In <1991May7.141615.16477@news.cs.indiana.edu> hagerp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu wrote
- + Recommended: "Dealing With Urine Tests on Short Notice"
- + by Dale Gieringer, California NORML
- +
- + Most folks recommend that people hydrate themselves -- the idea
- + being that by drinking water and taking a diuretic that will
- + promote water loss, the urine will be very dilute and THC metabolite
- + content from "tomatoe" consumption will drop below the 100 ng/ml
- + threshold that defines a "positive".
- +
- + Mr. Gieringer recommends that, the day before the test, the
- + person drink lots of water. I would amend this to, drink your
- + normal "8 glasses" plus a few more. Don't get carried away with
- + drinking water -- there is such a thing as "water intoxication"
- + which can result in brain swelling and other nasties so don't
- + chug-a-lug a gallon of water just before the test. After
- + hydrating, and a little before the test, drink some more water
- + and use a diuretic (coffee is a weak diuretic). Urinate to
- + flush the bladder -- the first urination of the day is the
- + one most charged with metabolites. The pamphlet quotes from
- + a _High Times_ article, "How to Beat a Drug Test":
- +
- + Take an 80 mg dose of the prescription diuretic Lasix
- + (furosemide); take a hefty drink of water; piss two
- + or three times; then take the test.
- +
- + Some caution is to be exercised in taking diuretics. Consult
- + your physician.
- +
- + Mr. Gieringer also suggests that the clear, watery urine that
- + results from the above procedure is sometimes suspicious. He
- + recommends taking 50-100 mg of vitamin B2 which will color
- + urine yellow for a couple of hours. Vitamin C does not produce
- + this effect -- contrary to rumor.
- +
- + For more information, I'd suggest contacting California NORML
- + directly at (415) 563-5858. They are located in San Francisco.
- + It is also possible that Mr. Gieringer will respond directly
- + via his canorml account.
-
- > I am asking for ...[a description]... of each thing that LSD leaves behind
- > that can be detected, and of each method used to beat each test.
-
- The immunsoassay tests vary in their specificity. Some display a relatively
- low cross-reactivity[13], others a high cross-reactivity[14]. The exact
- metabolites of LSD in humans have not been fully determined yet, though
- animal studies have been done. The only verified human metabolite I could
- find in the literature was N-demethyl-LSD[6] but I did not check all the
- references.
-
- FOOTNOTES:
- [1]
- Altunkaya, D; Smith R.N.
- "Evaluation of a commercial radioimmunoassay kit for the detection of
- lysergide (LSD) in serum, whole blood, urine, and stomach contents"
- Forensic Science International. v47n2, September 1990, p113-21.
- [2]
- Taunton-Rigby, A.; Sher, S.E.; Kelley, P.R.
- "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Radioimmunoassay"
- Science. v181, July 13 1973, p165-6.
- [3]
- McCarron, M.M.; Walberg, C.B.; Baselt, R.C.
- "Confirmation of LSD intoxication by analysis of serum and urine."
- Journal of Analytical Toxicology. v14n3, May-June 1990, p165-7.
- [4]
- Berg, E.
- "Drug-testing methods: what you should know."
- Safety & Health. v142n6, Dec 1990, p52-6.
- [5]
- Lim, H.K.; Andrenyak, D.; Francom, P.; Bridges, R.R.; Foltz, R.L.
- "Determination of LSD in urine by capillary column gas chromatography
- and electon impact mass spectrometry."
- Journal of Analytical Toxicology. v12n1, Jan-Feb 1988, p1-8.
- [6]
- Lim, H.K.; Andrenyak, D.; Francom, P.
- "Quantification of LSD and N-demethyl-LSD in urine by gas chromatography/
- resonance electron capture ionization mass spectrometry."
- Analytical Chemistry. v60, July 15 1988, p1420-25.
- [7]
- Papac, D.I.; Foltz, R.L.
- "Measurement of lysergic acid dietylamide (LSD) in human plasma by gas
- chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry."
- Journal of Analytical Toxicology. v14n3, May-June 1990, p189-90.
- [8]
- Paul, B.D.; Mitchell J.M.; Burbage, R.; Moy, M; Sroka, R.
- "Gas chromatographic-electron-impact mass fragmentometric determination
- of lysergic acid diethylamide in urine."
- Journal of Chromatography. v529n1, July 13, 1990, p103-12.
- [9]
- Blum, L.M.; Carenzo, E.F.; Rieders, F.
- "Determination of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in urine by instrumental
- high-performance thin-layer chromatography."
- Journal of Analytical Toxicology. v14n5, Sep-Oct 1990, p285-7.
- [10]
- Ratcliffe, W.A.; Fletcher, S.M.; Moffat, A.C.; et. al.
- "Radioimmunoassay of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in serum and urine
- by using antisera of different specificities."
- Clinical Chemistry. v23n2, Feb 1977, p169-74.
- [11]
- Cody, J.T.; Schwarzhoff, R.H.
- "Impact of adulterants on RIA analysis of urine for drugs of abuse."
- Journal of Analytical Toxicology. v13n5, Sep-Oct 1989, p277-84.
- [12]
- Klonoff, D.C.
- "Acute water intoxication as a complication of urine drug testing in the
- workplace."
- Journal of the American Medical Association. v265n1, Jan 2 1991, p84-6.
- [13]
- Christie J.; White, M.W.; Wiles, J.M.
- "A chromatographic method for the detection of LSD in biological liquids."
- Journal of Chromatography. v120n2, May 26, 1976, p496-501.
- [14]
- Twitchet, P.J.; Fletcher, S.M.; Sullivan, A.T.; Moffat, A.C.
- "Analysis of LSD in human body fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography,
- fluorescence spectroscopy and radioimmunoassay."
- J. Chromatogr. v150n1, March 11 1978, p73-84.
-
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