Workplace drug testing company Safework Laboratories saidthe first positive results for the psychoactive compound NBOMe, or N-Bomb, hadbeen received on Australian sites.

Safework national marketing director and forensictoxicologist Andrew Leibie said the positive tests were a frightening developmentfor worker safety.

“NBOMe compounds are extremely potent with as little asthousandths of a gram enough to cause major effects on those who consume itincluding violent or frightening hallucinations, major cardiac symptoms, nauseaand vomiting,” he said.

“NBOMe compounds are also associated with bizarre behaviourssuch as running into buildings head first or running into moving traffic.

“The impact a worker affected by these drugs could havewhile operating heavy machinery or in a safety-sensitive workplace isterrifying to consider.”

Leibie said NBOMe compounds could not be detected by normalworkplace drug tests and the recent positives had only been discovered in moreadvanced testing requested by the particular workplace.

“At the moment, we believe NBOMe is still relatively rare inAustralia, but the incidence is increasing,” he said.

“As it makes its way through society, it may become moreimportant to broaden the range of compounds tested for at safety sensitiveworkplaces.

“The arrival of NBOMe in larger quantities would be a verydangerous development.”

Liebie said NBOMe on its own could be deadly, but whencombined with other drugs, it could create a lethal cocktail.

 

He said traces of NBOMe could be detected in users up to 48hours after consumption.