# How long of a shelf life does urine have?



## 7thG (Dec 26, 2011)

If I were to secure a bottle of clean urine and keep it sealed at room temperature how long would it be usable for a drug test?


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## Dr.Drow (Dec 26, 2011)

no idea, i kno they test the temp of the sample as well


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## HabitualConcepts (Dec 27, 2011)

I know that when they send it to labs it can sit on the shelf for a few days. Some do it just to see if it's real(fakes settle out or something). I'd give it at max two days, but really I have no idea.


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## ozzydiodude (Dec 27, 2011)

Preservatives for Urinalysis NCCLS Guidelines recommend testing urine within two hours of its collection. However, refrigeration or chemical preservation of urine specimens may be utilized if testing or refrigeration within a two-hour window is not possible. A variety of urine preservatives (tartaric and boric acids being the most common) are available that allow urine to be kept at room temperature while still providing results comparable to those of refrigerated urine. Generally, the length of preservation capacity ranges from 24 to 72 hours. Claims for the length of specific analyte preservation should be obtained from the manufacturer. When a specimen is directly transferred from a collection cup into a preservative tube, it provides a stable environment for the specimen until testing can be conducted and reduces the risk of bacterial overgrowth or specimen decomposition. Non-additive tubes (those not containing any chemical preservatives) can be used for urinalysis, but must be handled following strict timing and refrigeration guidelines. 

Preservatives for Culture and Sensitivity (C&S) Testing The most common preservative used for culture and sensitivity is boric acid, which comes in tablet, powder or lyophilized form. 

There is clinical evidence to suggest that non-buffered boric acid may be harmful to certain organisms and that buffered boric acid preservatives can reduce the harmful effects of the preservative on the organisms.2 C&S preservatives are designed to maintain the specimen in a state equivalent to refrigeration by deterring the proliferation of organisms that could result in a false positive culture or bacterial overgrowth. Preserved urine specimens can be stored at room temperature until time of testing. Product claims regarding duration of preservative potency should be obtained from the particular manufacturer


_*This is from *_hxxp://www.bd.com/vacutainer/labnotes/Volume14Number2/


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## ArtVandolay (Dec 27, 2011)

:rofl: 





> How long of a shelf life does urine have?



Only on MP...


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## Tony278 (May 16, 2014)

Hi guys, I have a quick question. I just took a urine test and I got some clean piss from a friend. I got it from him and then taped it to my inner thigh/crotch area. Drove to the site which was about 7 minutes away. Parked and went to the office and did paperwork and everything. The whole process, from when I got the piss, to when I poured it into the cup for the test, took about 30 minutes. Just to calm my nerves, the temp should have been fine right? It was kept under my crotch and it was only for 30 minutes total that I had the urine. Temp shouldn't have been a problem, right?


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