Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Exeter, CA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as a significant method for identifying drug and alcohol usage. Hair offers an extended overview of alcohol and drugs by embedding biomarkers within the hair's fiber strands as they grow. When gathered close to the scalp, it can provide a detection duration of up to around 3 months for alcohol and drugs. It is easy to collect, relatively hard to tamper with, and straightforward to send out.

A sample of 1.5 inches containing roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil’s width) nearest to the scalp equates to 100mg, perfect for screening and confirmation purposes. For EtG, supplement tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample might be ideal. We advocate weighing the sample on a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn’t accessible, an equivalent amount from body hair might be used. When mentioning head hair, it specifically means scalp hair. Body hair comprises all other hair categories (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The prominent steps in lab processing of a drug test outcome include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning encompasses the initial incorporation of a sample into a lab’s database. This process validates that the sample was properly sealed and sent, allocates a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), alongside completing any additional data entry otherwise not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening consists of an initial rapid assessment for substance abuse. This method is financially sensible for overturning drug utilization in most cases, yet a positive screening necessitates confirmation for court admissibility. Samples that are presumptively positive in Screening need secondary validation.

In cases of presumptively positive results during Screening, more hair is extracted from the initial sample for the Extraction stage. Here, drug extraction from hair occurs at a considerably lower concentration in comparison to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most sophisticated methodology to perform.

The Confirmation of positive screening results employs GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Any presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation when required. The integrated laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is assessed under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection span: Hair drug assessments can spot drug utilization up to 90 days, unlike urine tests that manifest a shorter detection duration.
• Challenging to deceive: Manipulating a hair drug test is exceptionally difficult, thus increasing result accuracy.
• Offers historical insight: It provides a drug usage pattern over time, not merely recent ingestion cases.

Limitations:

• Lacks recent use detection: A period of about 5-7 days is necessary for drugs to surface in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug evaluations usually carry a higher cost than other drug testing approaches.
• Result variations: Hair color and individual hair growth differences can influence the drug metabolite concentration in hair.

Note: Though often labeled as "hair follicle tests", the analysis investigates the hair strand, not the follicle within the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Exeter, CA, hair follicle testing outclasses traditional urine tests by offering superior detection accuracy and reliability.

• Extended detection spans over months, revealing habits that urine tests might miss.
• The reliability of hair testing ensures that employers receive precise insights free of manipulation.

This evaluation method is especially beneficial for maintaining workplace safety and adherence to drug policies, proving more effective than urine testing in several scenarios.

Extended Detection Window

Exeter, CA benefits immensely from hair follicle testing due to its extended detection window, capable of identifying substance use for up to 90 days. This wider timeframe offers a clearer view of an individual's history beyond recent activities.

Employers gain valuable insights into employees' or applicants' long-term behaviors, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding workforce integrity and safety. This deep lookback period is unmatched by shorter-duration tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Exeter, CA stands out as a tamper-resistant method, significantly decreasing the odds of sample adulteration. Its robustness ensures that the results are both reliable and indisputable.

Unlike other testing procedures that are vulnerable to manipulation, hair tests maintain integrity from sample collection to result, providing peace of mind both for the administrators and the test subjects.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Exeter, CA enjoys the convenience of nationwide testing centers that provide hair follicle tests. Accredited Drug Testing offers quick, effortless, and stress-free access to necessary testing services locally and beyond.

This widespread network ensures that individuals and businesses can find testing facilities with ease, simplifying the process and reducing the inconvenience often associated with drug testing needs.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process of hair follicle testing in Exeter, CA is designed to be simple and confidential. Ordering, taking, and receiving test results is straightforward, ensuring all privacy concerns are addressed effectively.

This user-friendly approach reassures participants while maintaining confidentiality, easing anxieties around testing and encouraging proactive management of workplace wellness policies.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Exeter, CA, businesses benefit from affordable pricing and fast turnaround for hair follicle testing. Our competitive pricing models offer exceptional value while ensuring quick result delivery.

This efficient service model allows companies to balance budgetary constraints with the need for comprehensive drug testing, ensuring that organizational safety and productivity aren't compromised.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle drug tests in Exeter, CA offer fast, accurate, and reliable results for detecting substance use. This method outshines others in terms of precision and speed, allowing for timely decisions based on current and precise data.

With advanced analytical techniques, hair follicle tests ensure high accuracy, minimizing false negatives and enabling consistent outcomes. The rapid processing of these tests provides employers with the vital information they need without delays.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Exeter, CA can find peace of mind using hair follicle tests, as these tests ensure compliance with workplace drug policies. They help mitigate legal risks and bolster workplace safety standards.

Hair testing stands as a formidable tool in reducing the potential for drug-related issues in the workplace, offering employers substantial protection against compliance lapses and the associated repercussions.

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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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