A consumer product "first": DrugAlert Kit gives parents, others low cost, use-at-home drug detection capability.

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J.--(HealthWire)--March 28, 1995--The first consumer product of its kind, now being introduced nationally, gives concernced parents and others a low cost, scientifically proven weapon in the war against illegal drugs.

DrugAlert, developed and manufactured by Barringer Consumer Products Inc., is a use-at-home kit that detects trace amounts of illegal drugs. The kit contains a pre-moistened collector pad, or "swipe", used to sample or test surfaces and clothing. The collectors are sent to Barringer for laboratory analysis.

"Anyone who has been in contact with illegal narcotics will inadvertently acquire trace amounts of the narcotic," according to Stan Binder, chairman and CEO of Barringer Technologies. "For instance, a cocaine user will have traces on his hands and clothing. These traces will find their way to his car, his school locker, and objects in his room. This is where DrugAlert comes in, and why its use provides concerned parents with the factual information they need in order to take positive steps."

Attacking The Demand Side

"Trying to stop illegal drugs from the supply side is only half of the battle," Binder says. DrugAlert is the first in-home demand side product designed to help parents who are concerned with the drug use problem.

The DrugAlert kit provides a specially identified envelope in which a collector pad is mailed to Barringer for analysis. Results -- positive or negative -- are confidentially returned to the sender; the sender may also call in for results without revealing his or her identity. If testing indicates a positive result, the detected drug is identified. Additionally, helpful booklets prepared by expert government sources are included with positive results, "so parents know how to proceed," Binder explains.

The company chairman cautions that a positive result is not necessarily indicative that the child is a drug user. "Traces could have been left by another individual, or picked up through innocent contact," he says. "Positive detection results simply provide one piece of information that should always be used with other observation."

DrugAlert detects such illegal substances as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, PCP, marijuana, and derivatives.

Proven Technology

The technology employed by DrugAlert has been used for years by law enforcement agencies worldwide, including the FBI and the U.S. Customs Service, and the accuracy and credibility of the technology has been adjudicated by U.S. courts.

Additional information about DrugAlert is available from Barringer Technologies Inc. 219 South Street, New Providence, N.J., 07904; telephone: [phone]; fax [phone]. DrugAlert kits can be ordered by calling 800/378-4942. Barringer develops, manufactures and markets high sensitivity analytical instruments for security, law enforcement, exploration and environmental testing applications. Barringer Consumer Products, Inc. is a subsidiary of Barringer Technologies Inc., a public company listed on the NASDAQ exchange, symbol: BARR.

CONTACT: Barringer Technologies Inc.,

Stanley S. Binder, 908/665-8200