Baby Soaps Can Cause Positive THC Tests

After hospital nurses began reporting an unusual increase in the number of newborns who tested positive for THC in their urine samples, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, set out to find what was causing the spike in positive drug tests. They were surprised at what they found.

The cause of the positive urine tests for THC was baby soap, and researchers don't know why.

In many hospitals it is a common practice to test newborns for exposure to drugs, especially those born to women who are considered high risk for drug abuse, which includes those who have a history of substance abuse or those who do not seek prenatal care.

High-Risk Mothers Tested

Typically, these tests are conducted in-house at the hospital and the positive samples are not usually sent to a drug-testing laboratory for confirmation.

If a baby does test positive for drugs, it can lead to social services becoming involved in the case or possibly even criminal charges of child abuse. That's why it was important for researchers to determine the reason for the unusual number of positive tests reported by one hospital.

They found that the urine samples which resulted in a positive test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, contained small amounts of baby soap. Even amounts as little as 0.1 milliliters could produce a positive test, the researchers reported.

Baby Soaps That Cause Positive Tests

The baby soap products that produced positive THC tests include:

• Johnson & Johnson's Head-to-Toe Baby Wash
  
• J&J Bedtime Bath
  
• CVS Night-Time Baby Bath
  
• Aveeno Soothing Relief Creamy Wash
  
• Aveeno Wash Shampoo

The UNC researchers were quick to report that the baby soaps in no way contained marijuana or produced any effects of the drug.

Positive Tests Should Be Confirmed

"It's important to note the soaps do not produce a 'high,' or any other effects of marijuana, in infants. "It's not marijuana a in any way, shape or form," said study researcher Catherine Hammett-Stabler.

The study could not determine why the baby soaps produced positive results for THC. The research team speculated that the soaps might contain compounds that are partially similar to THC or perhaps the soap changes the way the urine tests work.

When the newborns' urine samples were tested with more sensitive tests, such as those used by drug-testing labs, they returned negative results.

The researchers suggests that hospitals that get a positive THC test from newborn urine test should have the results confirmed before taking any action, such as getting social services or the police involved.

^{Source: Cotten, SW, et al. "Unexpected interference of baby wash products with a cannabinoid (THC) immunoassay." Clinical Biochemistry June 2012}

Related Information:

• Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Ups Risk for Alcohol Abuse
  
• Partying During Pregnancy Can Cause Birth Defects
  
• What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

^{Photo: © Johnson & Johnson}