Specimen Collection and Handling

1. 30 mL of 30% glacial acetic acid as preservative.

2. Instruct the patient to void at 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. and discard the specimen.

3. Collect 24 hour urine specimen including the final specimen voided at the end of the 24 hour collection period.

4. Specimen must be kept refrigerated and protected from light during collection.

To Process:

1. Measure and record on the test request form the 24-hour total volume.

2. Mix well. Transfer the urine into a an amber plastic frozen transport tube with amber cap.

3. Label the container with the patient’s name, date, and time collection started and finished.

4. The specimen should be frozen immediately and maintained frozen until tested.

5. If amber tube and cap are not available, cover a clear plastic transport tube completely from top to bottom with aluminum foil.

6. Identify the specimen with the patient’s name directly on the transport tube and the outside of the aluminum foil. Secure with tape.

7. To avoid delays in turnaround time when requesting multiple tests on frozen samples, please submit separate frozen specimens for each test requested.

Click here to view the Urine Aliquoting Guide for Processing