DOT Alcohol Blood Tests
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Do DOT alcohol blood tests exist, or is this a misnomer? What kind of alcohol tests does
the Department of Transportation use?
The Department of Transportation's Alcohol Testing Policy
Actually, the concept of "DOT blood alcohol tests" is a concept arising from
misinformation.
The Department of Transportation
(DOT) has established procedures for mandatory alcohol testing that require the employment of standardized
breath alcohol tests like breathalyzers.
The categories of testing that are allowed by the DOT are the following: random,
post-accident, and reasonable suspicion.
So if your organization or business has mandatory alcohol testing that is based on DOT procedures,
and if management tells you to get an alcohol test that is outside the latitude of DOT procedures (such as a blood
alcohol test, a blood test for alcohol, or an alcohol blood test), contact your local Employees' Assistance
Representative or your union representative as soon as possible.
In a word, if your organization adheres to Department of Transportation's testing procedures, you should not be
required to take any alcohol test that differs from their protocol. For more information on this topic, make
sure to see your local Employee's Assistance Representative.
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Recent research demonstrates that the drugs most likely to produce effective
results when treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms are the benzodiazepines: the shorter-acting
benzodiazepines such as Serax and Ativan or the longer-acting benzodiazepines like Valium and
Librium.
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DOT Alcohol Blood Tests: Conclusion
From the above, we can determine that DOT alcohol blood tests is a
misnomer. Indeed, the Department of Transportation has established procedures for mandatory alcohol testing
that require the employment of breath alcohol tests like standardized breathalyzers rather than the use of alcohol
blood tests, blood alcohol tests, or blood tests for alcohol.
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Since some women remain unaware of their pregnancy, sometimes for 2 or more
months, women who are pregnant or those who are trying to become pregnant should abstain from
all alcoholic beverages, according to the March of Dimes.
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