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Jun 27, 2008 9:14 AM

The Department of Transportation (DOT) in a final rule is amending certain provisions of its drug and alcohol testing procedures to change instructions to collectors, laboratories, medical review officers, and employers regarding adulterated, substituted, diluted, and invalid urine specimen results, according to information in the Federal Register June 25.

The changes are intended to create consistency with specimen validity requirements established by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to clarify and integrate some measures taken in two of DOT's own interim final rules. This Final Rule makes specimen validity testing mandatory within the regulated transportation industries.

The rule becomes effective August 25, 2008.

Among the information for employers, DOT said in the final rule that it will continue to require the medical review officer to direct employers to conduct immediate re-collections under direct observation when the original specimen is reported with a creatinine concentration in the 2-5 mg/dL range. "We think the number of non-negatives produced during directly observed recollections is significant and justifies continuing the recollection requirement," the information stated.

DOT also will modify the semi-annual laboratory report to employers so that it has the same information required by HHS mandatory guidelines. The three proposed changes, "while not dramatic," will help laboratories avoid following different report formats for DOT and HHS, according to the information.