INTERNATIONAL DRUG TESTING BY NICOLE JUPE, QUEST DIAGNOSTICS Why Brazil Chose Hair Drug Testing
The Brazilian government faces serious challenges to keep its citizens safe on its streets and highways and to deter drug use by drivers.
T
raffic injuries are the leading cause of death globally, and road safety continues to be an important
public health issue for the World Health Organization (WHO). In its Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013, WHO estimated that more than 1.2 million lives are lost each year on the world’s roads. Brazil ranks fifth in the world for road crashes, with more than 45,000 annual traffic-related fatalities in a populous country of more than 200 million people. Mortality information cited by WHO showed an upward trend in reported road traffic deaths in Brazil, rising from 18% of deaths per 100,000 people in 2003, to slightly more than 22% per 100,000 in 2012. Brazilian professional drivers
struggle with illicit drugs and alcohol, according to Addiction. Many take stimulants to stay alert in an effort to work longer hours without breaks and reduce their travel times by suspending sleep. Denatran (Brazil’s national transportation department) and Brazil’s Federal Highway Police found that 94.4% of truck drivers have been involved in accidents, 38.6% experienced daytime sleepiness, and 34.9% improperly used medication. Additionally, research showed that 69% of Brazilian truck drivers drove more than 9 hours a day, 66% used amphetamines while driving, and 91% drank alcohol during work. The Brazilian government faces
serious challenges to keep its citizens safe on its streets and highways and to deter drug use by drivers. Many countries around the world mitigate the risks of dangerous driving with laws focused on safety, traffic enforcement, educational awareness programs, and drug testing
40 datia focus
in the transportation sector. However, South American countries, such as Brazil have traditionally lacked familiarity with laboratory-based drug testing, and as a result, appear unsure about how to standardize screenings and programs for their workforces, especially those in safety-sensitive roles—like truck drivers.
New Drug Testing Regulations Contran, the Brazilian Traffic Council, responded with proposed regulations that require drivers of trucks, buses, and vans in Brazil to take a mandatory hair drug test with a wide window of detection along with a medical exam in order to obtain or renew a professional driver’s license. Te mandatory hair drug test screens drivers for amphetamines, cocaine/metabolites, marijuana metabolites, methamphetamines, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP). A driver must have a negative drug test result to renew his or her license. Professional licenses in Brazil are valid for two or five years, depending on the age of the driver, and then must be renewed. Prior to this rule, drivers were not drug tested at all. Hair testing was selected by lawmakers
because it is the only drug test that can detect a pattern of habitual, or lifestyle, drug use for up to 90 days. Specimen types, such as blood, urine, instant, and oral fluid, were also considered, but were excluded because of reasons like a shorter detection window and the reliability of a laboratory test result. More specifically, a urine test offers a detection window of 24 to 72 hours, and an oral fluid test features a detection window of 24 to 36 hours. When compared with urine testing, hair testing provides nearly twice the number
spring 2018
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
