Test Country Reports More Employers Seeking Effective Tobacco and Nicotine Test Products

San Diego, CA, March 14, 2009 --(PR.com)-- A study published recently with the American Lung Association reported that smoking and inhalation of secondhand smoke in the workplace is costing the United States government and employers in the country an average of US$10 billion every year.

Around $5 billion of that money goes to direct medical aid for workers who have become sick with ailments related to smoking and secondhand smoke inhalation. The other $5 billion is channeled through workers’ compensation and disability benefits granted to employees who have gone through smoking-related illnesses.

Because of the rising costs of providing medical benefits to employees who smoke or inhale smoke at the workplace, there has been a sharp increase in the number of businesses that are making use of workplace testing products associated with tobacco and nicotine. This increase has been observed over the course of the past couple of years. The same goes for the number of companies providing tobacco and nicotine testing products (http://www.testcountry.com/categories.html?cat=132).

TestCountry.com is among those companies that distribute specialized testing products to determine tobacco use as well as the presence of nicotine in an employee’s body. The company sells these tobacco and nicotine testing products to a wide range of industries, including food service companies, health care sectors, senior care providers, and even large corporations.

Serhat Pala, president of TestCountry.com, explains: "In this day and age, not only are employers of all types concerned about the use of illegal drugs and alcohol, but these businesses, companies and firms are starting to focus a great deal of attention on the use of tobacco products among their employees."

"Although perfectly legal, cigarettes and other tobacco products can have very destructive health consequences for the user but also have negative impact on an employer on many different levels," Pala adds.

It cannot be denied that tobacco and nicotine usage does have an economic impact on businesses every year. A report has shown that employees who smoke have at least a 50% higher absenteeism rate over nonsmokers. Also, the amount of cumulative time spent on smoking breaks each year cost businesses in the US millions of dollars in lost productivity every year.

The health risks are large, as well. The American Lung Association had stated that 3,400 deaths are caused by lung cancer every year, while 46,000 deaths result from heart disease incurred from habitual smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke. The report also indicated that people who are exposed to secondhand smoke are 17% more likely to develop such diseases.

Aside from employers, people who wish to quit smoking have also begun to use tobacco and nicotine test kits (http://www.testcountry.com/categories.html?cat=132). Not only does using these kits help them stop the habit, but it also prepares them for obtaining health or life insurance policies.

About TestCountry
TestCountry.com is an online home test kit superstore. The company offers home or work drug test kits for a variety of needs, including HIV / AIDS testing kits (http://www.testcountry.com/categories.html?cat=10), pregnancy and fertility testing, paternity and DNA testing, substance use testing, health hazard detection, disease and cancer detection, and nutrition and wellness testing. TestCountry specializes in easy-to-use tests that can be individually administered in the security and privacy of a home or office. All shipments are packaged discreetly, thus respecting the privacy of clients. The company operates exclusively through their web site, found at http://www.testcountry.com/, and features a question and answer section providing responses to many common concerns users may have related to the various types of home testing.

Contact:
Global Business Support Systems, Inc. DBA TestCountry
9520 Chesapeake Drive, Ste 601
San Diego, CA 92123

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