MADISON, N.J., Sept. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Following years of
declines, the percentage of employees in the combined U.S.
workforce testing positive for drugs has steadily increased over
the last three years to a 10-year high, according to an analysis of
nearly 11 million workforce drug test results released today by
Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of
diagnostic information services.
The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ examines illicit drug
use by America's workforce based on an analysis of de-identified
results of more than 9.5 million urine, 900,000 oral fluid, and
200,000 hair laboratory-based tests performed nationally by the
company for employers in 2015. The findings were unveiled today at
the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA)
annual conference being held in Louisville, Kentucky.
Insights from the 2015 data show that the positivity rate for
9.5 million urine drug tests in the combined U.S. workforce
increased to four percent, a relative change of 2.6 percent over
the positivity rate in 2014 (4.0% versus 3.9%). The 2015 positivity
rate reflects a relative increase of 14 percent over the 10-year
low of 3.5 percent observed in both 2010 and 2011. The last year
that the positivity rate for urine drug tests in the combined U.S.
workforce was at or above four percent was 2005, when it reached
4.1 percent.
Another notable trend is the rising positivity rate for
post-accident urine drug testing in both the general U.S. and
federally-mandated, safety-sensitive workforces. Post-accident
positivity increased 6.2 percent in 2015 when compared to 2014
(6.9% versus 6.5%) and increased 30 percent since 2011 (5.3%). In
addition, post-accident positivity for the safety-sensitive
workforce has risen 22 percent during a five-year time period (2.8%
in 2015 versus 2.3% in 2011).
In oral fluid drug testing, the overall positivity rate
increased 47 percent over the last three years in the general U.S.
workforce to 9.1 percent in 2015 from 6.7 percent in 2013. The
increase was largely driven by double-digit increases in marijuana
positivity during this time period. In 2015, there was a 25 percent
relative increase in marijuana detection as compared to 2014 (7.5%
versus 6.0%). Slightly more than nine percent of oral fluid test
results were positive for one or more drugs, suggesting that nearly
one in eleven job applicants were unable to pass an oral fluid drug
screen.
Among drug testing methods, overall positivity in the general
U.S. workforce was highest in hair drug tests, at 10.3 percent in
2015, a seven percent increase over 2014 (9.6%) Because hair
testing shows repetitive drug use as far back as 90 days, it can
give a more complete drug-use history. By comparison, urine detects
recent or new drug use, typically in one to three days, and oral
fluid detects recent drug use in the previous 24-48 hours. In the
general U.S. workforce, the rate of amphetamine, marijuana, and
heroin detection increased annually for the past five years in
urine testing. Amphetamine positivity increased 44 percent and
marijuana positivity increased 26 percent since 2011; almost half
(45%) of individuals in the general U.S. workforce with a positive
drug test for any substance in 2015 showed evidence of marijuana
use. Heroin positivity in that period, indicated by the presence of
the 6-acetylmorphine marker (6-AM), increased 146 percent.
Oxycodone positivity rate has declined annually since 2011,
confirming previous research showing that opioid prescriptions have
declined in 49 states since 2012.
"Our nationally representative analysis clearly shows that drug
use by the American workforce is on the rise, and this trend
extends to several different classes of drugs and categories of
drug tests," said Barry Sample, Ph.D., senior director,
science and technology, Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions. "The
2015 findings related to post-accident testing results should also
be of concern to employers, especially those with safety-sensitive
employees."
"The DTI statistics for the last five years underscore the
threat to employers – and employees – from drug abusers in our
workplace. The numbers on hair testing – the methodology with the
longest look-back and therefore a more telling measurement of
regular use – show a 34-percent positive-rate increase for illegal
drug use by the general workforce in the last five years," said
Mark de Bernardo, executive
director, Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace. "However, all the
numbers for various testing methodologies confirm this disturbing
trend and should provide a wake-up call to employers to do more to
combat workplace substance abuse and to do it more
effectively."
Among urine test results indicating drug use for
federally-mandated, safety-sensitive employees, heroin positivity
increased a relative 4.5 percent since 2014, and a relative 84
percent since 2011. In addition, positive test results for
safety-sensitive workers showed a seven percent year-over-year
increase in amphetamines (0.58 % in 2015 versus 0.54 % in
2014).
"This report shows a welcome decline in workplace drug test
positives for certain prescription opiates but a disturbing
increase in heroin positives. This rise in heroin should concern
both policymakers and employers. Substance abuse is a safety risk
for everyone. This new workplace evidence is an additional sign of
the rising national heroin problem, this time in the workplace,"
said Robert DuPont, M.D., former
director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
About the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index
The
Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index (DTI) is an analysis of test
results according to three categories of workers: federally
mandated, safety-sensitive workers; the general workforce; and the
combined U.S. workforce. Federally mandated, safety sensitive
workers include pilots, bus and truck drivers, and workers in
nuclear power plants, for whom routine drug testing is mandated by
the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Quest Diagnostics has analyzed annual workplace drug
testing data since 1988. The strengths of the Drug Testing Index
analysis include its large, nationally representative sample size,
longitudinal monitoring, a testing population that is generally
reflective of the U.S. workforce and the quality of the company's
drug testing services to confirm positive results. Limitations
include analysis only of employers that perform drug testing with
the company and a lack of exact cross-specimen comparisons due to
variations in substances for which employers test.
The complete 2016 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index can be
found here. For more information about the Quest Diagnostics Drug
Testing Index, including comprehensive data from the current
report, visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com/DTI.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers
people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the
world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic
insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire
healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest
Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half
the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 44,000 employees
understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our
diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform
lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
Drug Testing Index © 2001-2016 Quest Diagnostics
Incorporated.
Quest, Quest Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics and all associated
Quest Diagnostics registered or unregistered trademarks are the
property of Quest Diagnostics.
Contacts:
Wendy Bost, Quest Diagnostics
(Media): 973-520-2800
Shawn Bevec, Quest Diagnostics
(Investors): 973-520-2900
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