Austin (kxan) – a A new report from Quest DiagnosticsThe provider of diagnostic health information and health information services revealed the percentage of working people who test positively for fentanel in random drug tests “exceed” those in the pre -employment test.
According to the Drug Test Diagnostic Index for the year 2025, or DTI, the positive American workforce was 707 % higher in random tests than it was in pre -employment tests in 2024. Meanwhile, the pursuit data showed that pre -employment rates for other types of drugs are lower than fentanel.
For example, data from the past five years shows that the rate of marijuana positive in the US public workforce was 42 % less in the random test than it was in the pre -employment test. The statement said that the rate of positive fentianil in the random test was 400 % higher than the pre -employment test over the past five years.
Quest said that, in general, positive results decreased on urine -related drug tests slightly over a year, from 4.6 % in 2023 to 4.4 % in 2024. More than 8 million drug tests were analyzed, according to Quest.
The report indicated that the increase in fentanel in random drug tests indicates that more people use the drug after they pass the drug tests before employment.
“The new research data indicates a disturbing increase in the positive of fentanel in the random drug tests, as well as in fentanel medicines for drug evaluation drugs between the country’s workforce in daily work environments,” Soghash Harwani, Ph.D., Director of Science in the field of workforce health in the environment said in the statement.
The data also found that 60 % of the samples that were positive for fentanel were also positive for other drugs. Also, about 22 % of drug tests in the workforce in fentianil were also positive for marijuana. In 2020, only 10 % of the positives of fentanel were also positive for marijuana. There was also a large percentage of positive tests for fentanel that was also positive for amphetamines: 16 % in 2024, compared to only 11 % in 2020.
Harwani added: “It is worrying to see the increase in the use of fentanel in work and conjunction with other drugs, given the severe fentanel boys, which can increase the risk of weakness, accidents and possible excessive dose.” “It is also concerned that employees are turning into a dangerous drug like fentanel after they have passed a drug screen before employment, which puts the general well -being of the workforce at risk.”
Harwani said that the data collected from the random test and the pre -employment test can help employers to understand the drugs that its employees may use and help determine how to perform the drug test.
“When you look at the test, drug tests can be studied before employment from many methods. You can refrain from use for a week because you know that you will get drugs in this regard, but the fact that we see this supreme positivity of fentianil in random tests indicating that there is more use in the American operating article, and we do not pick it up in the pre -working stage.”
Therefore, it is really an indication of the employers that it may have a truly random test to play a great value in terms of what they are [have as part of their] Narcotics test programs, “Harwani.” There may be a lot of programs only before employment, or before employment and after accidents only, and they may not have a random component for them. “
Harwani said that the year 2024 was the first year in which Quest Diagnostics informed the positive of fentanel in the US public workforce. Previously, only pre -employment positive rates have been reported. He said that the total positive rates of Fintanel increased by about 15 % for the US public workforce from 2023 to 2024.
Harwani said: “This is one point attached – just knowing where the random positivity is … this is not generally a direction we see,” Harwani said. “But when you look at it, pre -employment positive is not generally … much different from the positive random test. It is generally in a line, a little less or higher, but not a 700 % difference.”
Harwani said that the data collected through the annual DTI of Quest was used in the past by the federal government Drug Test Consulting CouncilBut this council was terminated at the end of March.
Quest Diagnostics has analyzed the annual drug test data at the workplace since 1988 and published the results as a public service, according to its website. More information about reports It can be found on the Internet.