How eating four slices of multigrain bread at a airport lounge led a fly-in-fly-out miner to failing a drugs test – and him stood down from his job
- Fly-in-fly-out miner could’ve lost his job after he ate bread with poppy seeds in
- Gerhard Klein had eaten the bread in the Virgin lounge before heading to work
- Mr Klein was later subjected to a random drug test at work and tested positive
- The reading was due to the bread he’d eaten and he’s now been reinstated
- Virgin said it offer a range of bread types and responsibility lies with the person
Gerhard Klein was in the Virgin airport lounge when he opted for a slice of multigrain bread – unaware it was made with poppy seeds
A fly-in-fly-out miner’s career could have been completely derailed after he failed an on-the-spot drug test because he ate multigrain bread.
Gerhard Klein was in the Virgin airport lounge when he opted for multigrain bread – but while the lounge offers a range of savory options – he was unaware the bread he’d selected was made with poppy seeds.
It’s understood he had eaten around four slices of the multigrain bread.
When he arrived back at work he was subjected to a random drug reading, a common occurrence on mining sites, and was bemused to find he had tested positive.
Mr Klein said he was subsequently stood down from his position as a result of the reading, which saw his codeine level sky-rocket to 764 – more than double the allowed limit.
‘They came back and said “Oh, you’re positive, and stop there, you need to get your supervisor”,’ Mr Klein told A Current Affair.
While Mr Klein was left wondering whether or not the drug test had sabotaged his career, he was still none-the-wiser as to what could have caused such a high reading.
It was only when his wife asked him if he’d eaten any poppy seeds that he realised what had happened.
(File picture) Mr Klein was unaware as to what could have caused the drug reading, until his wife asked him if he’d eaten any bread made with poppy seeds
While opiates can be naturally found in an opium poppy plant, they can also be found in opium plants that include codeine – which would explain his high reading.
Convinced the multigrain bread he had eaten at the airport was behind the high reading, Mr Klein brought some bread packed with poppy seeds home and tested it.
And it wasn’t long before the results came back positive.
In a bid to double check his findings, Mr Klein then ate some bread and tested himself, and got the same result.
(File picture) While opiates can be naturally found in an opium poppy plant, it can also be found in opium plants that include codeine
Thankfully Mr Klein, who has a long and blemish-free work history, was cleared and reinstated.
Although he did warn that other employees, who might be newer to the job, may not have got their job back so easily.
In a statement issued to Daily Mail Australia, Virgin said that while the lounge offers a range of bread it’s the individuals responsibility as to what they consume.
‘The Virgin Australia lounge offers a range of bread types for our guests to enjoy and we always appreciate receiving feedback from our guests,’ the statement read.
Mr Klein then ate some bread and tested himself again. The test again came back as positive
‘We believe it is up to each individual to take responsibility for what they consume while in our lounges, and to familiarise themselves with their own employers’ drug and alcohol policies,’ it concluded.
They also noted that food items that could cause an allergic reaction were treated differently, and the lounge does have sign posts for food that may contain nuts.
It’s understood that a recent increase in positive drug testing could be due to poppy seed ingestion, according to occupational physician Dr Robert McCartney.
However, he noted that it was unlikely someone would lose their job if they failed a drug test as it would be difficult to decipher whether or not the reading was down to poppy seeds or drug intake.