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Construction workers and others handling heavy duty machinery in hazardous conditions are more likely to misuse prescription opioid medication and use cocaine than other workers, according to a study released Thursday.[CR-LF][CR-LF][CR-LF]Earlier this year, Quest Diagnostics DGX, -0.46%, a company performing drug-test laboratory work, said there were double-digit increases in drug detection for six of 17 sectors. The tests look for the presence of drugs, including marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and opiates.

During its Q3 earnings call last week, Quest Diagnostics provided an update on its plans to move its immunoassays to a single vendor as Chairman, President, and CEO Steve Rusckowski said that the company planned to announce that vendor in the near future.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The move to a single vendor will enable "greater throughput, a more efficient footprint, and is expected to save tens of millions of dollars per year," Rusckowski said, noting that this will help offset declines in test reimbursement due to the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA).

Did you know that our body produces Cannaboid (CBD)? Yes, that’s right! Our body has something called an Endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is also known as “the survival system”. Our ECS regulates everything from rest and relaxation to digestion to inflammation to organ and muscle performance, basically everything in our body that is connected to our brain and central nervous system. The ECS produces CBD which stimulates responses to naturally reduce aches, pains, improve mobility, flexibility, even moods, headaches, and sleep. If this is true, then you might be asking yourself, “Is my ECS even working?” Or maybe you are wondering, “If my body produces CBD why do some tell me this is a controlled substance and I could lose my job if I am using a CBD supplement?”[CR-LF][CR-LF]According to Quest Diagnostics Director of Science and Technology, Barry Sample, "If the product contains only CBD and has had the THC removed, then an individual being tested would not be expected to test positive for marijuana or marijuana metabolite." In other words, drug tests screen for THC, not CBD.

A federal court has given preliminary approval to a class action lawsuit against Quest Diagnostics field on behalf of individuals whose HIV testing data was exposed in a 2016 data breach.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The US District Court for the District of New Jersey approved on October 25, 2019, a $195,000 settlement between the plaintiffs and Quest under which lawsuit class members who are able to show they incurred monetary damages due to the breach can collect $250 each and members whose HIV test results were exposed can collect $75 each.

A federal court granted approval Oct. 25 to Quest Diagnostics to settle a class-action lawsuit that stemmed from a 2016 data breach for $195,000, according to GovInfoSecurity.com.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In November 2016, around 34,000 individuals may have had their protected health information exposed after an unauthorized third party gained access to the lab testing company's web application.