Colo. toxicology lab to give up drug, alcohol work

The Colorado health department says a state toxicology lab won’t resume blood-alcohol testing.

The decision comes three months after Colorado suspended the lab’s blood-alcohol and -drug testing after a report raised questions about its work.

The Denver Post reports that the decision to end blood-alcohol and blood-drug samples is a result of a loss of revenue and a diminished customer base.

During the suspension, hundreds of blood samples were sent to small, private labs across the state. A total of 800 blood-alcohol samples were retested during the suspension.

The health department says that the independent lab verified the accuracy of the samples.

The lab will continue other tests, including screening for newborn illnesses and breath-alcohol testing for law enforcement.