LABS THAT TEST TRANSPORTATION WORKERS FOR DRUGS FACE INQUIRY OVER SAMPLES

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is launching inspections of
all 65 federally certified drug-testing labs that test transportation
workers after a case involving a Delta Air Lines pilot raised doubts about
the process used to validate samples at a lab in Kansas.

Delta, Atlanta, said Friday that five employees -- including the pilot and
four flight attendants -- who were fired after LabOne Inc. reported their
urine samples had been "substituted," will be offered reinstatement because
of "doubts about the reliability of test results."

Delta said it plans to replace LabOne, Lenexa, Kan., after an independent
review -- conducted in connection with the pilot's appeal -- raised
questions about how the lab processed samples. Delta didn't detail its
concerns with LabOne, a publicly traded company that also performs testing
for the insurance industry.

In a memo to its employees Friday, Delta said it is revamping its
drug-testing policy to strengthen safeguards for employees. Among other
things, the carrier intends to use an independent lab inspector to verify
lab processes and results in cases where samples are found to be substituted
or adulterated.

Questions about LabOne's validation of urine samples surfaced during an
administrative proceeding before the National Transportation Safety Board,
in which Delta's Doukas Siotkas, 47 years old, was fighting a Federal
Aviation Administration move to revoke his pilot's license. Mr. Siotkas was
tested for drugs after a Rome-to-New York flight in July 1999 and the
results showed a zero level of creatinine, a metabolite found in urine.

Creatinine levels are measured to verify that a urine sample is bona fide,
and under federal guidelines, a reading of 5 milligrams per decaliter or
less is deemed to be substitution of a sample -- in effect, cheating on the
test. No further testing of the sample for the presence of drugs is
typically conducted.

During the NTSB proceeding, the Air Line Pilots Association, which has been
vigorously challenging the scientific legitimacy of drug-test validation,
raised concerns that LabOne's reported measurements for creatinine weren't
precise enough. In particular, the lab at the time of the test was reporting
creatinine levels in whole numbers, rather than to a decimal point, as
federal guidelines issued in July 1999 provide. Last month, the FAA, faced
with doubts about the lab tests, settled with the pilot, allowing him to
keep his license.

In an interview, Dr. Michael Peat, president of LabOne's substance-abuse
testing division, said the lab hasn't been privy to details of the Delta
case, but said he remains confident its practices are solid. "We're very
careful about how we perform drug tests and test for substitution," he said.
"It's our strong belief and opinion that we report all results correctly."

Dr. Peat said LabOne had updated its procedures by January 2000 to report
creatinine levels to the decimal point and insisted its earlier practice
hadn't altered the reliability of results. He said LabOne is "disappointed"
in Delta's decision to switch labs.

In light of the Delta case, HHS sent four inspectors to LabOne during the
past two weeks. Robert L. Stephenson, acting director of the division of
workplace programs at HHS's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, said that on Friday, the agency -- eager to see how
widespread the practice of using round numbers may be among drug-testing
labs -- sent questionnaires to all 65 laboratories that are federally
certified to perform drug tests on transportation employees. The purpose, he
said, is to check their protocols for validating urine samples.

At the urging of the Department of Transportation, HHS is also gathering
data from the labs on all tests done on workers regulated by DOT, since
validity testing began. A DOT spokesman said the agency "is concerned other
labs may have conducted similar tests without completely implementing all
test procedures."

Mr. Stephenson said HHS plans to expedite inspections of labs to check how
they handle validation tests.

Robert Morus, spokesman for the Airline Pilots Association, said the union
is heartened by Delta's actions to strengthen safeguards and reinstate
employees, but believes the drug-validation test is unscientific and unfair.
He said the test can produce false results, particularly in vegetarians,
petite women and people who drink large quantities of water -- all of whom
may show low levels of creatinine.

Write to Martha Brannigan at martha.brannigan@wsj.com1