New data released today by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the nation’s leading provider of employment-related drug testing services, reveal that drug testing of hair specimens from employees and job applicants in the general U.S. workforce has tracked sharp downward trends in cocaine and methamphetamine use from 2005 to the first half of 2009 that mirror similar drops shown by urine testing. Data in the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) special report include more than 27 million urine tests and more than 840 thousand hair tests performed by Quest Diagnostics between 2005 and the first half of 2009. Testing of urine specimens can detect a single instance of drug use in the prior one to three days, while hair testing can detect a pattern of repetitive use over a period of up to 90 days.

Click here to view the full release.

The department of Health and Human Services Administration (HHS) issued a rule that will affect Federal workforce drug testing programs. Beginning in May 2010, MDMA (Ecstasy) and 6-Acetylmorphine (Heroin-specific metabolite) will become required screens in regulated panels. Additionally, the screening and confirmation cutoffs for cocaine and amphetamines will be lowered. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has not yet issued a NPRM adopting these HHS changes, but we anticipate that they will in the next several weeks.

Once these changes go into affect, your Federally mandated drug testing may see an increase in positive tests, primarily, due to the lower cut-offs . This could cause increased laboratory costs and Medical Review Officer (MRO) fees, and more results with increased turnaround times.

While this change will directly apply to your Federally-mandated testing, a number of our clients administer their non-DOT testing by adhering to Federal testing standards. We will not be taking automatic action to change any of your non-DOT panels without your written authorization. Despite the potential negative return on your investment, if you would like for your non-DOT test panels to continue to match the DOT panels and cutoffs, please call our National Customer Support Center at 800-877-7484.

As the industry leader and your drug testing partner we will continue to monitor and inform you as more specifics are made available. Quest Diagnostics will be prepared to implement all required testing changes to keep you in compliance with both your company policy and Federal drug testing regulations. Look for future Results articles on the topic over the coming months and do not hesitate to contact us with any questions that you might have in the meantime.

On November 20, 2009, Quest Diagnostics published our first Drug Testing Index TM with hair testing data. USA Today ran an article about our release:

Quest Diagnostics on Friday will release hair data for the first time that show that in the first half of 2009 cocaine was found in three of every 1,000 urine tests performed on job applicants and employees, whereas hair testing found cocaine in 32 of 1,000. For every 1,000 tests, methamphetamine showed up once in urine and nine times in hair.

Click here to read the full article.

The following article was published by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance (ODAPC).

“Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of “medical marijuana.” Click here to view the guidelines.

“We have had several inquiries about whether the DOJ advice to Federal prosecutors regarding pursuing criminal cases will have an impact upon the Department of Transportation’s long standing regulation about the use of marijuana by safety-sensitive transportation employees – pilots, school bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers, subway operators, aircraft maintenance personnel, transit fire-armed security personnel, ship captains, and pipeline emergency response personnel, among others.

“We want to make it perfectly clear that the DOJ guidelines will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing program.  We will not change our regulated drug testing program based upon these guidelines to Federal prosecutors.

“The Department of Transportation’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation – 49 CFR Part 40, at 40.151(e) – does not authorize “medical marijuana” under a state law to be a valid medical explanation for a transportation employee’s positive drug test result.

“That section states:

§ 40.151 What are MROs prohibited from doing as part of the verification process?
As an MRO, you are prohibited from doing the following as part of the verification process:
(e) You must not verify a test negative based on information that a physician recommended that the employee use a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. (e.g., under a state law that purports to authorize such recommendations, such as the “medical marijuana” laws that some states have adopted.)

“Therefore, Medical Review Officers will not verify a drug test as negative based upon information that a physician recommended that the employee used “medical marijuana.”  Please note that marijuana remains a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.  It remains unacceptable for any safety-sensitive employee subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation’s drug testing regulations to use marijuana.

“We want to assure the traveling public that our transportation system is the safest it can possibly be.”

In addition to drug testing and wellness screening services for employers, Quest Diagnostics also offers a variety of panels that test for steroids and other performance-enhancing substances. With this in mind, a recent notice from the FDA caught our attention and we wanted to pass along some important information.

While it is common to think of steroids as injectable solutions, some body building products marketed as “dietary supplements” are also known to contain steroids or steroid-like substances. For more information on the FDA Consumer Advisory click here.

A growing number of public safety and security-centric companies are beginning to test their employees for steroids and other harmful controlled substances. Steroid use can cause the following symptoms: yellowing of the skin, acne, gynecomastia, fluid accumulation, and psychological disorders such as aggression. Dangers of steroid use include liver dysfunction, adverse changes in blood lipid levels and increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including hypertension and stroke, and infertility.

For more information on steroid testing contact your sales representative or visit our website.

Each Fall we survey a portion of our customers to help us determine what we are doing well and what we should improve upon. The item that struck us this year is the fact that 84% of respondents indicated that they are likely or extremely likely to recommend Quest Diagnostics’ drug testing services.

If you have seen a positive return on your drug testing investment, perhaps it would make sense to introduce drug testing to your professional colleagues or business partners as a way that they can take steps to reduce absenteeism and turnover, while improving their workplace safety.

More than four out of five would recommend us. Would you?

At Quest Diagnostics, we are receiving a number of questions from our employer customers about how they should address the implications of the H1N1 influenza virus in the workplace. The information below is designed to educate employers and employees on what can be done to reduce the workplace risks associated with H1N1 influenza.

The H1N1 influenza virus presents a threat to the health and safety of your employees. As a result, the attendance and productivity of your workforce is also at risk. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has published a tremendous, fact-based resource for anyone interested in learning more. On their website, the CDC states, “If you are sick, you may be ill for a week or longer. You should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel and not going to work or school, for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities.” This is an important message for employees and for employers. Since the H1N1 virus is spread via person-to-person contact, it is essential that individuals who test positive for the H1N1 virus not come to work while they are ill.

Individuals who exhibit flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headaches, body aches, fatigue, cough, sore throat, shortness of breadth, vomiting and diarrhea should consult with their physician. A physician may decide to test specifically for the H1N1 influenza virus and prescribe treatment.

Quest Diagnostics is the first commercial lab to be granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the FDA to test for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Additionally, Quest Diagnostics is also the first lab able to differentiate the seasonal flu virus from the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus – an important distinction as treatment options are considered.

We have a variety of resources to assist individuals and employers who are interested in learning more about the H1N1 influenza virus.

- Quest Diagnostics aired a webinar discussing the H1N1 influenza virus and its impacts

- Quest Diagnostics has also published an online educational resource

- The Center for Disease Control website presents information on symptoms, treatment, etc.