OU Confirms Blood Tampering In Tar Creek Investigation

Friday, May 26th 2006, 6:09 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The University of Oklahoma confirms that two workers confessed to substituting their blood for samples taken from children in the lead-tainted Tar Creek area.

The OU Health Sciences Center investigated allegations that contract workers hired for the Tribal Effort Against Lead, or TEAL, study used their own blood when they failed to obtain samples from some children, who are at high risk for lead exposure in the area.

A Tulsa newspaper first reported the investigation's results on Wednesday.

OU vice president for research Joseph -L- Waner says two of the employees admitted the allegations were true and cooperated with investigators. Participants' families have been notified and offered a repeat of the test at no charge.

Former TEAL workers accused phlebotomists Joy Bryant and Diana Layman and field supervisor Charles Wade of tampering with blood vials by placing their own blood in vials marked for the collection of children's' blood.

All have denied any wrongdoing.