Technical, Scientific and Procedural Issues of Employee Drug Testing: Consensus Report.

The Division of Applied Research of the National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsored a Consensus Conference at which key technical, scientific, and procedural issues of employee drug testing could be discussed. The conference, which included politicians and government officials; representatives of business, industry, and labor; and laboratory scientists and physicians, addressed four major subject areas related to testing guideline issues and three major areas of concern related to laboratory certification. The specific topics discussed, a synopsis of critiques developed from the proceedings, the consensus statements, and the recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are included in this report. The report on scientific/technical guideline issues focuses on analytical methods, specimen collection and reporting results, additional drug and cut-off levels, and the role of the medical review officer. For each of these areas, specific issues are identified, a critique is given, and consensus statements are made. The report on laboratory certification issues examines performance testing, laboratory inspections, and monitoring laboratory performance. A glossary of terms, a list of working group members, a list of consensus conference participants, and the HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs are appended. (NB)