Lab OKs $2.2-Million Settlement Over Pre-Employment Blood Tests
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SAN FRANCISCO — Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory has agreed to pay $2.2 million in a settlement with thousands of employees who claimed that their blood was secretly and illegally tested for sexual diseases, genetic conditions and pregnancy.
The testing, now discontinued, was part of pre-employment physical exams given to clerical workers, starting about 30 years ago. Seven present and past employees said in a lawsuit that they were not told of the blood tests at the time and learned about them years later.
The lab, which conducts nuclear research for the government and is operated by the University of California, said that it posted signs about the blood tests and that the tests were intended to identify health problems so they could be treated.
The lab stopped testing for syphilis in 1993, made pregnancy testing optional in 1994 and stopped testing for the sickle-cell anemia gene in 1995.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that employers may not administer secret blood tests for conditions unrelated to job performance.
The settlement would affect as many as 8,000 employees and job applicants.
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