One fear of bar hoppers is to have someone slip something into their drink and be sexually assaulted.

Date rape drugs are designed to cause a blackout, amnesia or render the victim helpless to sexual assault.

Special effects professional Francisco Guerra and New York dentist Brian Glover started a company and created a product aimed to stop these crimes.

Drink Safe Technologies Inc. has developed a coaster designed to detect if any of the most popular date rape drugs – including GHB, ketamine and rohyphnol – have been slipped into a person’s drink.

The coaster has four circular test areas, and someone can put a drop of a drink on any of the test areas to see if it has been tainted. Test strips, that dip directly into a drink, also can be purchased.

If the test strip or spot turns red, green or blue, then it is contaminated. If it remains clear or white, it can be reused to test again later.

When health educator Steven Lux was asked for his comments on the drink coasters, he said, “They don’t work.”

What Lux was referring to was a similar product in England that was banned from the market in September.

The product, created by SureScreen Diagnostics, was taken off the market after independent research groups found many problems with false positive results and the coasters not detecting the drugs it claimed to detect.

According to BBC News, SureScreen Diagnostics managing director Jim Campbell said, “I am very surprised, as we have done a lot of trials.”

The product was on the market for less than a year.

While the Drink Safe Technologies coaster is still patent pending, its Web site, www.drinksafecoaster.com, does not sell the coasters separately; there is a focus on selling large quantities.

“I would never recommend us spending NIU health fees to buy these,” Lux said, stating there were too many potential problems with the device. “What do you do if you get a false-positive? Slap the guy you’re with?”

Indeed, the coaster raises the question of providing a false sense of security because alcohol is reported as the most common drug in date-rape cases, Lux said.

Larry Bolles, director of the University Judicial Office, was skeptical of the product.

“It seems to be focused on people’s fear factor,” he said.

Instead of resorting to expensive tests, Bolles recommends using common sense to keep safe.

“Don’t drink anything given to you by someone you don’t know,” Bolles said, also stating not to leave your drink unwatched, and to pour out your drink if you’re unsure of contamination at all.

“It’s not a widespread phenomena,” Lux said.

According to a survey conducted by the National Collegiate Health Assessment at NIU in spring 2002, only 1.4 percent of 635 students surveyed reported sexual penetration against their will, although it was not factored in what percent of the 1.4 percent had date-rape drugs related to their case.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Lisa Hribal, a senior communication major. “But I don’t think it will be used when it needs to be used – usually when someone is drunk at 2 or 3 in the morning.”

Hribal never has felt that she would need to use the coaster, especially in DeKalb.

“It should be used at raves and huge bars, like Excalibur – not a DeKalb bar like Molly’s.”