Is the sweat patch subject to adulteration?
No, not in the same sense that urine specimens can be adulterated. The sweat patch is a tamper evident device. The adhesive material used on the sweat patch penetrates the upper layer epithelial layer of the skin. When the sweat patch is removed, these epithelial skin cells adhere to the adhesive and will prevent the re-application of the sweat patch. While there have been attempts to adulterate the absorption pad by introducing common chemicals used to adulterate urine test (bleach) these attempts are very obvious. Based on the physical properties of the polyurethane covering as noted above, these chemicals will be trapped under this polyurethane covering, and in one case the bleach resulted in a second-degree chemical burn. In addition, attempts to adulterate the sweat patch will typically result in a visible discoloration of the white absorption pad and/or discoloration or deformation of the polyurethane covering, and should be noted on the chain of custody document. 11. Is the swea
