Blood-alcohol tests halted at lab amid concerns

Blood testing for drugs and alcohol will be suspended at a Colorado laboratory lab after defense attorneys raised concerns about the objectivity of the process.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Friday that work will be suspended effective July 3, but its lab will process samples already being tested. Unprocessed samples will be sent to another lab.

Concerns about the lab stem from a March report by an employee consulting firm that said some workers of the lab at CDPHE complained that a supervisor made statements suggesting a bias in favor of prosecutors. The report also said refrigerators containing blood samples were unlocked.

CDPHE Executive Director Dr. Chris Urbina announced his resignation earlier this month, but didn’t cite the problems at the lab and neither did state officials.