US employer agrees to stop genetic testing

A US freight railway company has agreed to stop requiring the genetic testing of employees who file claims for a wrist condition called the carpal tunnel syndrome. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had filed a lawsuit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe alleging that the policy violated the Americans With Disabilities Act. A railway worker who refused to provide a blood sample after filing an injury claim was threatened with dismissal, the commission said, in its first legal challenge against genetic testing by employers. A spokesman …