Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Avenal, CA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is increasingly perceived as a potent method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. It offers a comprehensive history of substances by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the growing hair. When taken near the scalp, hair can reveal a detection period of up to three months for alcohol and drugs. The collection process for hair is straightforward, somewhat resistant to tampering, and simple to transport.

A 1.5-inch section consisting of roughly 200 hair strands (approximating the size of a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp will yield 100mg, the preferred sample size for testing and confirmation. For EtG and additional tests exceeding ten panels, 150mg is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale for precise weight measurement of the specimen is suggested. If scalp hair is inaccessible, a comparable quantity of body hair may be utilized. When discussing head hair, it pertains exclusively to scalp hair. Body hair incorporates alternative types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The lab processing of a drug test comprises four core stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning handles the primary integration of a sample into a lab’s system, ensuring the sample was appropriately sealed and shipped, issuing a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and fulfilling any supplementary data necessary beyond what an electronic chain of custody supplies.

Screening serves as an initial rapid assessment for illicit substances. Although a cost-effective method to rule out drug presence in most samples, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples identified as potentially positive in Screening must undergo secondary confirmation.

Presumptively positive samples within the Screening phase lead to more hair being extracted from the original specimen for the Extraction stage. This stage separates drugs from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to alternative methods (e.g., urine or saliva), explaining why hair drug screening is exceptionally challenging.

Confirmation for any positive screening is executed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples considered presumptively positive are cleansed pre-confirmation as necessary. The entire lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation adheres to both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair standards and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug screening can reveal drug use up to 90 days prior, surpassing the shorter detection span of urine tests.
• Challenging to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test is quite difficult, thus enhancing result accuracy.
• Offers usage history: It chronicles a pattern of substance use across time, rather than just pointing to recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent usage: It requires about 5-7 days for drugs to become observable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug testing usually incurs higher costs than alternative methods.
• Result variability: Elements like hair color and unique hair growth rates can alter the level of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Commonly dubbed as "hair follicle tests," the analysis focuses on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the skin.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Avenal, CA, stands superior to urine testing by offering a longer detection window and higher reliability. Unlike urine tests, hair analysis can uncover drug use over several months, providing a more extensive picture.

When compared to urine testing, the accuracy of hair follicle tests is unparalleled. This approach significantly decreases the likelihood of false negatives, ensuring a thorough and dependable evaluation of an individual's drug use history.

Extended Detection Window

A key advantage of hair follicle testing in Avenal, CA, is its extended detection window of up to 90 days. This comprehensive timeframe allows employers to gain a full understanding of an individual's substance use history.

Such a long detection period offers a panoramic view of an applicant's or employee's potential drug use, making hair follicle testing a superior choice over traditional methods that only view a short window.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Avenal, CA, is a tamper-resistant method that provides trustworthy results. The stringent nature of this testing makes it nearly impossible to manipulate or alter sample results.

Unlike other testing methods, hair follicle tests circumvent common issues of adulteration, ensuring both the integrity and the veracity of the test outcomes. This quality makes it an indispensable tool for precise drug testing.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accredited Drug Testing offers accessible testing centers both nationwide and locally in Avenal, CA. Finding a convenient location to conduct your testing is straightforward and stress-free.

Our extensive network of facilities ensures that no matter where you are, accessing the necessary drug testing services is quick, easy, and accommodating to your schedule and requirements.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Avenal, CA, the hair follicle testing process is both simple and confidential. From ordering the test to receiving results, every step is designed with privacy and convenience in mind.

Understanding the importance of confidentiality, our procedures ensure that clients can manage their testing needs efficiently, without concerns about data security or unnecessary exposure.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

For businesses in Avenal, CA, our hair follicle testing services offer competitive pricing and rapid turnaround times. This balance provides companies with excellent value, suiting enterprises of all sizes.

By emphasizing affordability alongside speedy results, clients trust us to deliver reliable drug testing services that efficiently meet budgetary and time constraints.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Avenal, CA, hair follicle drug tests are celebrated for their precision and speed. They offer an unmatched level of accuracy when identifying substance use, ensuring the most reliable outcomes possible for those who need it the most.

The meticulous process of hair testing surpasses traditional methods by yielding fast, dependable results. This method's accuracy in detecting substances provides peace of mind to employers and professionals alike.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Avenal, CA, achieve peace of mind through hair follicle testing, ensuring adherence to drug-free workplace policies. This method reduces legal risks and augments overall safety at work.

With the use of reliable hair testing, companies can confidently maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, fostering an environment of trust and security among their employees and stakeholders.

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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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