Section 2. News Report. Air Controllers Removed from job for drug use.

Today the Federal Aviation Administration reviewed that five air traffic controllers based in Kansas city have been taken off the job because of drug use.

Earlier this month, 13 controllers at the southern California centre were removed from their jobs for off-duty drug use.

Also today the FAA continued to investigate alleged drug use at the nation's sixth largest airlines, US Air, NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports.

Drug use, even off-duty, is banned for controllers under Federal Aviation Administration rules.

So far the FAA has conducted the investigations into alleged drug use by controllers at two facilities, Palmdale in southern California and now Kansas City.

In southern California, 34 controllers were taken off their radar scopes. Pending the outcome of the investigation, 13 tested positive for drugs. And we were told they could quit or enter a treatment program, or opt for treatment.

In Kansas City, 36 controllers were investigated. The five who tested positive for drugs have all agreed to undergo treatment. Three controllers are still under the investigation.

The proportion of drug users is small. Of the roughly 500 controllers at the two facilities, only 70 were suspect, and of those, only 18 tested positive for drugs.