Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Funter, AK

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has become recognized as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair encapsulates a long-term record of alcohol and other substances by capturing biomarkers within the strands as hair grows. When cut close to the scalp, hair can reveal up to a 3-month timeline for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is easy, tough to tamper with, and convenient to transport.

A 1.5-inch portion of roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil’s thickness) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the preferred sample size for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a sample size of 150mg is suggested. Using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample is advised. If no scalp hair is accessible, a similar quantity of body hair can be taken. Note that head hair refers solely to scalp hair, whereas body hair pertains to all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four key phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning encompasses the initial integration of a sample into the lab's system. This involves verifying proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any manual data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves a preliminary rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. While screening offers a cost-effective way to eliminate drug use in the majority of samples, a positive screening must be validated to be legally acceptable. Any samples that test presumptively positive in Screening necessitate further confirmation.

When a sample appears presumptively positive during Screening, additional hair is taken from the original sample for Extraction. At this phase, substances are drawn out from hair at a much lower concentration compared to other techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening highly challenging to execute.

GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS is employed to confirm any positive screening outcomes. Presumptive positive samples are cleaned as necessary prior to confirmation. The complete laboratory protocol from Accessioning to Confirmation is inspected under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug use for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which have a limited detection period.
• Hard to falsify: It's extremely challenging to manipulate a hair drug test, ensuring more precise outcomes.
• Delivers historical insights: It can illustrate a drug use pattern over time, not merely recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent consumption: It requires around 5-7 days for drugs to manifest in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests generally cost more than other testing approaches.
• Result variations: Variables like hair color and personal differences in hair growth can influence the levels of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Despite being often called "hair follicle tests", the test actually examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Funter, AK, surpasses traditional urine analysis through its superior detection accuracy and dependability. While urine tests are common, hair follicle exams provide a broader detection window, uncovering drug use over months. This increased reliability offers an effective alternative to conventional testing methods for employers and legal institutions.

Extended Detection Window

In Funter, AK, hair follicle testing offers an extended detection period for substance usage, revealing drug patterns up to 90 days prior. This extensive window gives employers a comprehensive view of an individual's historical substance behavior, aiding significantly in hiring or employee evaluations.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Funter, AK, significantly reduces the chances of sample tampering. The collection process ensures that the results are authentic and trustworthy, thereby providing employers with a dependable method of maintaining a safe and drug-free workplace environment.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

The convenience of Accredited Drug Testing centers nationwide ensures that residents in Funter, AK, have easy access to testing services. With numerous local centers, getting tested is both quick and straightforward, eliminating stress and waiting times.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process of hair follicle testing in Funter, AK, is designed for simplicity and confidentiality. From ordering through receiving results, the procedure ensures privacy and ease of use, addressing any concerns about discretion and accessibility for users.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Accredited Drug Testing in Funter, AK, offers competitive pricing and quick turnaround times. Businesses of all sizes benefit from the value provided, with cost-effective services that ensure timely and accurate results.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision of hair follicle drug testing in Funter, AK ensures dependable substance detection. This method delivers high accuracy, highlighting its capability to promptly recognize drugs and alcohol usage. Users receive reliable outcomes, making it a preferred choice for rigorous evaluations of historical substance use patterns.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Incorporating hair follicle testing in Funter, AK, helps employers comply with drug-free workplace policies. This method reduces legal liabilities and promotes overall safety, ensuring peace of mind for employers and a secure environment for all employees.

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What's New In Hair Follicle Drug Testing according to the Hair Drug Testing Experts

With its multidisciplinary nature, hair testing brings together researchers, scientists, and experts from various domains to develop innovative techniques, explore new methodologies, and address emerging concerns, responding to the ever-evolving challenges of drug abuse, therapeutic drug monitoring, and environmental exposures to pollutants.

The joint meeting of the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) and the Italian Group of Forensic Toxicologists (GTFI) was organized in Verona, June 8–10, 2022, and hosted by the Legal Medicine team of the Verona University Hospital, directed by Franco Tagliaro together with Federica Bortolotti and Rossella Gottardo.

It served as a prominent platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, facilitating groundbreaking advancements in hair testing and analysis. In this special issue of Drug Testing and Analysis, we aim to showcase the remarkable manuscripts presented at this significant event, shedding light on the latest research and highlighting the future directions in this field.

Novel Analytical Techniques: The Verona meeting witnessed the unveiling of cutting-edge analytical techniques, offering enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy for drug testing. Remarkable advancements in sample preparation, detection, and identification of drug compounds have been presented. The manuscripts in this section presented novel approaches, such as multianalyte methods and on-line preparation which can enable rapid analysis and improve thorough forensic investigations.

Biomarkers and Pharmacokinetics: The identification and validation of reliable biomarkers and pharmacokinetic studies are fundamental aspects of drug testing and analysis. The impact of hair treatments on the oxidation/decomposition of drugs in hair was also explored, as the long-term fate of drugs incorporated in the keratin matrix. Furthermore, the SoHT meeting in Verona featured research on the identification and quantification of alcohol abuse biomarkers, their stability, and their correlation with exposure and other biomarkers.

Forensic Applications and Interpretation: One of the vital objectives of hair testing is its application in forensic investigations and legal proceedings. The SoHT meeting in Verona emphasized the significance of rigorous interpretation of analytical results and the need for standardized protocols. Manuscripts in this section present advancements in forensic toxicology, and have explored the challenges posed by emerging designer drugs and strategies to combat their proliferation. The pitfalls encountered when the exogenous/endogenous nature of a substance is questioned were presented and discussed. The special issue presents also manuscripts that delve into the ethical implications of drug testing in drug facilitated sexual assaults.

Clinical Applications of hair testing are witnessed by the insight on environmental tobacco smoke exposure, assessed by hair analysis in a population of students and the study of in utero-exposure to drugs of abuse through neonatal hair analysis. Exposure to drugs was also important in cases of child abuse/neglect, when the clinical purpose of hair testing merge with its forensic applications.

The legal framework surrounding hair testing and the achievement of guidelines to ensure fairness, accuracy, and confidentiality in drug testing practices have also been discussed,and the SoHT consensus on general hair testing and testing for drugs of abuse was presented at the meeting and published as a Letter to the Editor.

In conclusion, the special issue of Drug Testing and Analysis, featuring manuscripts from the SoHT–GTFI meeting in Verona 2022, reflects the remarkable advancements achieved in this field. The manuscripts provide valuable insights into novel analytical techniques, biomarkers, pharmacokinetics, forensic applications, and ethical considerations. As we embrace these advancements, we pave the way for a safer, healthier society, where drug testing and analysis serve as powerful tools in protecting public health and maintaining integrity in various sectors. The research presented in this special issue will undoubtedly shape the future of drug testing and analysis, fostering collaboration and inspiring further innovation in this crucial area of scientific inquiry.

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