Services
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Our Capabilities
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LC-MS/MS
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GC-MS
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GC-FID
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HPLC
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ATR FT-IR
(Solution and Surface Analysis) |
UV-VIS
(Diode Array) |
Densitometry
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ELISA
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Forensic TestingForensic testing is our bonafide specialty. We are experienced working with all types of forensic samples (blood, urine, substance ID, etc) to detect and quantify analytes-of-interest. We strictly follow all legal and cGLP guidelines to ensure that sample integrity is never an issue. Additionally, we are comfortable providing expert interpretation of our results and testimony if necessary. Commonly requested forensic testing specialties include:
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Hemp TestingOur hemp testing experience evolves directly from our forensic analytical testing background. We know the importance of accurate results for hemp producers because we have decades of experience dealing with the intersection of chemical testing, the law, and personal and financial ramifications. We have maintained DEA-registration for over twenty (20) years as an independent forensic laboratory performing controlled substance testing, including hemp and marijuana. In late 2019, the Interim Final Rule (IFR) for the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, which provided ground rules that made it a requirement for all legal hemp testing to be performed by a DEA-registered laboratory by October 2021. We are thrilled that we are able to apply our expertise, attention to detail, and knowledge of testing hemp to this economic and agricultural revolution.
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Manufacturing TestingWe frequently work with manufacturers throughout the country to augment quality control (QC) efforts and enhance Research & Development (R&D) activities. The range of tests that we've performed for clients extends from basic UV-VIS analyses up to comprehensive product chemical fingerprinting using chromatography paired with mass spectrometry. We have extensive experience performing value assignments for manufacturers. We are interested in providing analytical solutions for manufacturers within the following industries:
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Abbreviated Test Menu
This list of analytes given below is not comprehensive, but it provides an excellent global view of our capabilities.
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Amphetamine "Analogs"
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Barbiturates & Analogs
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Cocainoids
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Psychoactives
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Don't See What You Need?
We can develop custom methods to monitor your parameter(s)-of-interest using any of our available instrumentation. See below for several examples of unique cases that we've worked in the past. Contact us to get started.
Examples of unique applications where our expertise made a difference
Example 1: Extremely low LOD/LOQ
- A suspect was in jail for a week before prosecution realized they wanted an amphetamine/methamphetamine test. Realizing that the drug levels might be very small, they looked for a laboratory that would go lower than the standard LOD used for routine work. They found RMIL. RMIL found there was still a substantial amount of methamphetamine in the urine even after that time.
- Identification of DES in PC-SPES, when FDA had reported “negative”. RMIL, and another lab in California, had found some lots both positive and negative. Our client asked how that was possible. RMIL reviewed the FDA publication, and the problem was that the FDA assay was targeted for legitimate pharmaceutical dosage forms of DES. However, the dosage for PC-SPES was more like 12-14 capsules. The FDA tested one capsule and diluted the extract as would be appropriate for pharmaceutical dose – which diluted the DES below their LOD. This was all nicely documented in their publication. Ultimately, other University laboratories (i.e., publicly funded) confirmed the presence of DES as well as many other manufactured drugs.
- A sailor with an exemplary record took a random UA which returned a positive for opiates. The sailor claimed he’d eaten a poppy seed cake baked by his Lithuanian grandmother. A confirmatory test was performed with results of both codeine and morphine. The MRO opined that the morphine could have come from poppy seeds, but the codeine indicated illicit codeine use. Recent literature informed that the legitimate pharmaceutical industry has developed poppies that produce significant amounts of codeine in addition to morphine. The poppy seeds are then distributed as food stuffs. The sailor still had a preserved piece of cake. RMIL developed a method for testing the cake for codeine and morphine content, and found that the ratio of codeine to morphine was the same as in the sailor’s urine – CAREER SAVED!
- Parents sought medical care for their infant. They received a prescription which they filled at a legitimate pharmacy. Their baby became exceedingly lethargic after receiving the medicine mixed in with baby food. Concerned, they re-contacted the prescribing physician who did not meet their level of concern. As directed, the parents gave another dose; the baby became even more lethargic, and the parents rushed him to the emergency room. The child’s urine tested positive for an opiate. The parents were reported to Social Services, and the child was removed from the parents’ custody. RMIL found the opiate, but not the intended prescription drug, in the baby food residue the parents had kept, as well as in the trace amount of "powder" in the prescription bottle. RMIL established that the pharmacy had incorrectly filled the prescription, and the parents got their baby back.
- An apartment exploded, and the gas company was targeted by lawsuits alleging negligence with respect to a gas leak. Neighbors told investigators that they suspected the occupants of the apartment were manufacturing and/or dealing drugs. On the reasoning that all the particles in the air eventually end up in the ducts around the furnace, investigators collected several dozen swabs of “dirt”. RMIL detected several analytes supporting the possibility that the occupants of the apartment had caused the explosion.
- A woman was charged with murdering her husband. She was charged with pre-meditation on the basis of a positive result for TCAs from a preliminary immunoassay screen on the deceased victim's blood. Specifically, investigators believed the woman drugged her husband's beer so he would be impaired in his ability to defend himself. The laboratory which performed the preliminary screen was unable to perform a confirmation, and there was no source of TCAs in the house. There was, however, several NyQuil capsules whose contents had been squeezed out of a pin hole in the capsule end. RMIL knew that TCA screens tend to cross-react to diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in NyQuil. Beer had been collected from partially consumed beer cans, transferred to plastic sample containers and stored for an extended time period. RMIL tested for TCAs and diphenhydramine, and confirmed the samples were positive for diphenhydramine, but negative for all TCAs.