Citation

Price JW. J. Addict. Med. 2012; 6(4): 253-257.

Affiliation

From the St. Mary's Occupational Medicine Clinic, Evansville, Indiana.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/ADM.0b013e318266a8d5

PMID

22895464

Abstract

BACKGROUND:: This study examines the relationship between the use of 9 classes of substances (amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, methadone, opioids, phencyclidine, and propoxyphene) and coal-mining accidents. METHODS:: The control sample (n = 215) made up of miners that presented for random urine drug testing. The study sample (n = 100) consists of miners that presented for postaccident urine drug testing. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney U tests of creatinine normalized urine drug levels were conducted to compare the medians of the groups. RESULTS:: The mean drug concentrations were higher in the postaccident group for each drug tested except marijuana. Two-tailed testing demonstrated statistically significant differences for marijuana (P = 0.000), cocaine (P = 0.008), and opiates (P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS:: The study demonstrates statistically significant higher cocaine and opioid concentrations and lower marijuana concentrations in postaccident urine drug tests of coal miners when compared with random tests.

Language: en