Police say teenagers are drinking bleach to pass drug tests

People will go to great lengths to pass a drug test, but the Mobile County Sheriff's Office in Alabama say there is a popular trend among young people who try to beat these tests and it could kill you. Some have been ingesting bleach. Sergeant Joe Mahoney with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office said: "As far as kids go, if they fail a drug test, they get kicked off the team. A probationer - over at the probation office - they go back to jail. An employee, if they fail a drug test they may lose their job.

"We have had cases where they have ingested straight bleach, and it caused significant damage to their body,” said Mahoney. Household bleach strips chemicals and odours from surfaces and fabrics, so you can only imagine what it does when consumed. "It can eat away at your esophagus and enough of it can cause death,” said Mahoney. Mahoney said he sees this trend mostly with juveniles.


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"There is more emphasis on drug testing in school, especially with sporting events and things like that, but there should be education to these Juveniles. You need to say ‘Yes, we are going to drug test and don’t try to mask it because if you do, you're going to harm your body and this is what can happen,'” he said . Mahoney said wreaking havoc on your insides is all bleach will do. Drug tests have become sophisticated and can determine the presence of foreign chemicals.

"Specific gravity tests will let us know the urine is not just pure urine coming from the body or if these other compounds are present or if there is a tremendous amount of water in the system where they've tried to flush the system,” said Mahoney. He said there is one way to pass a drug test: Steer clear of illegal substances. Mahoney said if you see someone drinking bleach, call poison control immediately or take them to the hospital.