BriteDot Specimen Cup Temperature Indicator Offers Easy,
Automated Application for Drug Testing

More than 80% of American corporations conduct drug testing, according to a research paper in the Journal of Toxins. Among the Fortune 500, 97% have drug-free work policies.

At the same time, the numbers of people admitting to having used drugs during the past year is increasing, according
to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Marijuana use among adults 26
years old and older increased from 7% (12.6 million people) in 2002 to 15.2% (33 million people) in 2019. Use of
hallucinogens and methamphetamine, though relatively limited, has doubled between 2015 and 2019, to 3.1 million
and 1.1 million people, respectively.

Ensuring that drug tests are accurate, therefore, is an important step in minimizing drug use in the workplace and thus enhancing safety. Accuracy also minimizes work in the lab caused by retesting to account for possibly fraudulent samples.

One of the ways to enhance accuracy is to ensure that the urine provided for the drug screening actually is produced by the person being screened. The best, most economical, way to do that is by measuring the temperature of the urine sample when it is provided.

SpotSee’s BriteDot® Digital Thermometer sticks to the outside of the specimen cup for immediate readings. BriteDot is designed for high volume, automated applications. Available in rolls of 3,000 or 6,000, specimen cup manufacturers can add these self-adhesive, continuous temperature indicators to the cups as part of their usual workflow, using a machine application process. Therefore, there’s no extra handling.

Importantly, BriteDot specimen indicators are on a polyester, rather than paper, liner. This makes the rolls more durable and less likely to break during application. Paper liners, in contrast, tear. Even small tears can cause the roll to snap in two and stop the application process. By minimizing such breakage, rolls of BriteDot® indicators can be applied faster and more efficiently overall, saving time and reducing hassles for the applicators.

These specimen temperature indicators not only meet SAMHSA guidelines but also meet the more stringent medical requirements that are in place for forehead thermometers and other medical products. Each temperature strip has its own lot number, too, for traceability.

Temperature is indicated in both Fahrenheit and Celsius and is marked in two-degree increments between 90°F – 100°F / 32° – 38°C. The indicator dot itself is bright green on a black background, so drug testing personnel can easily see whether the sample matches normal body temperatures (and so is fresh) or is cooler (suggesting fraud).

The temperature indicator provides continuous readings, heating in response to the sample, and recording subsequent temperatures as the sample cools. Once it is filled, drug testing personnel have 4 minutes to record the temperature before the specimen cools.

For additional ease of use in a drug testing setting, BriteDot indicators are designed with a 2-degree temperature offset. Health personnel, therefore, needn’t add 2 degrees to the temperature of the specimen to account for heat  hat is lost to the cup.

BriteDot specimen cup temperature indicators are an automated, easy-to apply, economical, and accurate solution for measuring the temperature of urine samples.

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