SAMPLE COLLECTION PROTOCOL

Urine, Water and Breast Milk Instructions

Make sure you follow this protocol accurately as the steps described are the only ones validated by the laboratory that will ensure the accuracy of your testing results. The urine cups for collecting your samples will be sent to the shipping address you enter on Paypal while registering for the test if you live in the U.S.

It will take a maximum of 8 weeks for you to receive your results from the date the lab receives your samples/samples.

Urine Cups (for urine and water sample collection)

In the U.S.: The collection cups for collection of your sample will be sent to your address within 2 weeks of you registering for the test. Make sure the cup is sealed well when you have filled it with your sample.

Elsewhere in the World: Please buy your urine sample collection cup from a local source. Make sure it is a 4 oz / 125 ml cup with a screw top. Please also makes sure you seal the cup very well when you have filled it with your sample.

URINE SAMPLES

Collecting a Morning Spot Urine Sample:

  1. When you first get up in the morning to urinate on the day of urine collection, please do the following
    Rinse hands with plain water and air dry.
  2. Just before voiding, remove cap from urine sample container, carefully lay the cap down with the inside facing up on a clean dry surface. Try not to touch the inside of the container or the inside of the cap, and don’t let the inside of the cap contact any surface.
  3. Start urinating into the toilet. Then move the container into the urine stream to collect the sample.
  4. Fill the container to ½ to ¾ full. Do not fill jar more than this. If you overfill the cup pour out a little at a time until you are at ½ to ¾ of the way full.
  5. Replace the cap immediately. Make sure that it is screwed on tightly.
  6. Write your name, age, sex, and date and time of collection legibly on the label located on the side of the urine cup. Also make sure you write the e-mail address that the test was ordered with on Paypal on the label.
  7. Place the container in a ziplock bag and place in a box (urine cup upright) you will use for shipping.
  8. Wash your hands again.
  9. In packing the box for shipment make sure that you fill all empty space with paper or bubble wrap so that the sample will not move inside the box during its transport.
  10. Seal the box with enough tape to ensure that there are no unnecessary openings in the box.
  11. Ship the box to the address below (overnight or normal post). It is preferred that the sample is shipped the same day that you collected it. If you cannot post on the day you collect the sample, freeze the sample straight after collection and post within 7 days.

Send To: GAMBA Project, PO Box 22429, San Francisco, CA 94122.

Mark your sample as Fragile when you send it. The Detox Project advises to post your samples on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid weekend post delays.

If sending from outside the U.S. make sure you ask your postal service for advice about how to package and label your sample to avoid problems with U.S. customs.

WATER SAMPLES

Collecting a Water Sample:

Choose the faucet that will serve as your source of water sample (preferably where you get your drinking water from). Use the urine cups mentioned at the start of this document for water sampling.

  1. Rinse hands with plain water and air dry.
  2. Just before water collection, remove cap from the urine sample container, carefully lay the cap down with the inside facing up on a clean dry surface. Try not to touch the inside of the container or the inside of the cap, and don’t let the inside of the cap contact any surface.
  3. Turn the faucet on and let the water run for half a minute. Then move the container into the water stream to collect the sample.
  4. Fill the container to ½ to ¾ full. Do not fill jar more than this. If you overfill the cup pour out a little at a time until you are at ½ to ¾ of the way full.
  5. Replace the cap immediately. Make sure that it is screwed on tightly.
  6. Write your name, place, ZIP code, and date and time of collection legibly on the label located on the side of the urine cup. Also make sure you write the e-mail address that the test was ordered with on Paypal on the label.
  7. Place the container in a ziplock bag and place in a box (urine cup upright) you will use for shipping.
  8. Wash your hands again.
  9. In packing the box for shipment make sure that you fill all empty space with paper or bubble wrap so that the sample will not move inside the box during its transport.
  10. Seal the box with enough tape to ensure that there are no unnecessary openings in the box.
  11. Ship the box to the address below (overnight or normal post). It is preferred that the sample is shipped the same day that you collected it. If you cannot post on the day you collect the sample, freeze the sample straight after collection and post within 7 days.

Send To: GAMBA Project, PO Box 22429, San Francisco, CA 94122.

Mark your sample as Fragile when you send it. The Detox Project advises to post your samples on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid weekend post delays.

If sending from outside the U.S. make sure you ask your postal service for advice about how to package and label your sample to avoid problems with U.S. customs.

BREAST MILK SAMPLES

Collecting Breast Milk Sample:

Materials to prepare before collecting your breast milk sample, make sure you have the following:

  1. Manual Breast Pump- please use the Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump (collection cup included) available at Amazon.com. Make sure that the breast pump and collection cup have not been used before and are clean.
  2. Dry ice- enough to seal all empty space in the styrofoam box you will use for shipping (~3lbs). If you don’t have a readily available source of dry ice, you can order and have it delivered from:  https://www.dryicedelivered.com/public/Default.aspx
  3. Fiberboard box where the Styrofoam box will snuggly fit.
  4. Class 9 Label- see link below for source (point 10).

Collection Procedure: When you first get up in the morning before your first feeding for the day (if possible), please do the following

  1. Rinse hands with plain water and air dry.
  2. Just before pumping breast milk, remove cap from the storage cup, carefully lay the cap down with the inside facing up on a clean dry surface. Try not to touch the inside of the container or the inside of the cap, and don’t let the inside of the cap contact any surface.
  3. Attach the collection cup to the breast pump assembly and carefully start pumping breast milk directly to the storage cap
  4. Fill the container to ½ to ¾ full. Do not fill cup more than this. If you overfill the cup pour out a little at a time until you are at ½ to ¾ of the way full.
  5. Remove the storage cup from the breast pump assembly and replace the cap immediately. Make sure that it is screwed on tightly.
  6. Write your name, age, and date and time of collection legibly on the label located on the side of the storage cup. Also make sure you write the e-mail address that the test was ordered with on Paypal on the label.
  7. Place the container in a ziplock bag and place in a Styrofoam box (storage cup upright) you will use for shipping.
  8. Wash your hands again.
  9. In packing the box for shipment make sure that you fill all empty space with dry ice so that the sample will not move inside the box during its transport.
  10. DO NOT SEAL THE STYROFOAM BOX instead follow the instructions in the following link to complete packing the box appropriately:  http://images.fedex.com/us/services/pdf/Dry_Ice_Job_Aid.pdf
  11. Ship the box to the address below (overnight or normal post). It is preferred that the sample is shipped the same day that you collected it. If you cannot post on the day you collect the sample, freeze the sample straight after collection and post within 7 days.

Send To: GAMBA Project, PO Box 22429, San Francisco, CA 94122.

Mark your sample as Fragile when you send it. The Detox Project advises to post your samples on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid weekend post delays.

If sending from outside the U.S. make sure you ask your postal service for advice about how to package and label your sample to avoid problems with U.S. customs.

The breast milk testing will only start later in 2015 – we will confirm via e-mail when you will be able to send your samples.

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