Quest Diagnostics, the medical testing giant, has been slapped with a nearly $5 million settlement for the improper disposal of hazardous waste and failing to protect customer's sensitive health information, officials from Alameda County announced. In a legal strike aimed at safeguarding both the environment and patient privacy, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price joined a coalition of DA offices across the state in settling, with the agreement funneling $364,440 back to Alameda County.

Not a mere slap on the wrist, this hefty settlement is the culmination of a decade-long investigation that laid bare the company's careless practices. During undercover inspections in 2016, authorities discovered urine samples replete with patient names at Quest facilities, actions that run afoul of California's stringent privacy and hazardous waste regulations; the findings in Alameda and San Leandro locations being particularly damning.

"California laws are designed to protect not only our environment but our individual privacy as well," District Attorney Pamela Price said, emphasizing the seriousness of the violation. The agreement imposes a five-year injunction on Quest Diagnostics with rigorous conditions to forestall repeat offenses. According to the Alameda County DA's office, these include compliance with medical waste, hazardous waste, and private health information laws, and mandatory third-party waste audits to keep the company on its toes.

Under the settlement detailed in the official announcement, Quest Diagnostics’ penalty kitty totals $4,999,500, including civil penalties, costs, and funds earmarked for Supplemental Environmental Projects – this isn’t change found under the cushions but a sum reflective of the gravity of the violations; notably, $3,912,000 of which will be divvied up among the prosecuting DA's offices and Attorney General's office, with environmental enforcement investigations in California set for a $300,000 boost.