Definitions

Definition - What does Diluted Specimen mean?

A diluted specimen, within the context of drug testing in the workplace, is a urine sample with a higher than normal water content. This generally means that the individual has consumed an excessive amount of liquid prior to submitting to a drug screen test in hopes of beating the test. Too much water in the urine can change the acidic solution of excreted urine, essentially making the concentration of any drug metabolite in the sample lower than the cutoff concentration for the drug test. This would result in a negative test or an inconclusive result.

A diluted specimen may also be called a diluted or dilute sample.

SureHire explains Diluted Specimen

A diluted specimen refers to a urine sample with a high concentration of water, resulting from excessive fluid intake. Laboratories test for the concentration of a specimen in their specimen validity testing to ensure that the sample is within an acceptable level of dilution. If the sample is too dilute, the lab will deem the sample inconclusive and require a new sample be collected. Whether a candidate and/or current employee had inadvertently or deliberately affected the outcome, an employer, on advice from the lab or Medical Review Officer, can request the administration of a second test to collaborate, or dispute, the results of the initial test.