Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Campion, CO

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is increasingly recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers a comprehensive history of substance use by retaining biomarkers within the fibers of the developing hair strand. Obtaining hair near the scalp can yield an approximate 3-month period of detection for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to transport.

A 1.5-inch sample of roughly 200 hair strands (around the size of a #2 pencil) near the scalp can provide 100mg of hair, deemed optimal for screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, gathering 150mg is advised. It's beneficial to weigh the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If head hair is sparse, an equivalent amount of body hair is permissible. "Head hair" specifies scalp hair exclusively, while "body hair" encompasses other hair varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The essential procedures in the lab processing of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning encompasses the initial integration of a sample into a laboratory's infrastructure. This entails verifying that the sample was sealed and shipped accurately, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data input absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening constitutes an initial rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. While Screening is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug usage in most samples, a positive result must be confirmed for court admissibility. Samples with a positive indication in Screening require further confirmation.

If a sample is preliminarily positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen and prepared for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at much lower concentrations relative to other methods (such as urine or oral fluid), highlighting why hair drug screening presents significant challenges.

Confirmation of any positive Screening is carried out utilizing GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positivity are cleansed before confirmation as needed. The entirety of the laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair categorization and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug use for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which have a briefer detection period.
• High difficulty to tamper: Cheating a hair drug test is very challenging, enhancing result accuracy.
• Offers historical insights: It provides insight into drug use patterns over time, beyond recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: Approximately 5-7 days are required for drugs to become detectable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests usually entail higher costs than other testing methods.
• Result variation: Attributes like hair color and individual hair growth divergence can influence hair drug metabolite concentration.

Note: Although often termed as "hair follicle tests," the analysis focuses on the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Campion, CO
Unlike traditional urine tests, hair follicle testing offers superior accuracy and reliability. While urine tests detect recent drug use, hair tests reveal drug history over months, assisting employers in making informed hiring decisions and maintaining workplace integrity.

Extended Detection Window

Extended Detection Window in Campion, CO
The ability to detect drug usage over an extended period of up to 90 days makes hair follicle tests highly valuable. For employers, this offers a broader perspective on potential employees' habits, ensuring informed hiring choices.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Campion, CO
Hair follicle tests significantly thwart attempts of sample tampering, securing reliable results. This rigid testing strategy is critical in maintaining the integrity of drug testing processes for accurate, unaltered outcomes.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Campion, CO
Our extensive network of testing centers nationwide ensures easy accessibility to reliable testing services. Whether in Campion or beyond, seamless, convenient experiences are guaranteed for all clients.

Simple, Confidential Process

Simple, Confidential Process in Campion, CO
Ordering and receiving results for hair follicle tests is designed to be straightforward and private. With a focus on confidentiality, the entire process ensures user's concern about privacy is thoroughly addressed.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Campion, CO
Our competitive pricing and rapid test results provide excellent value for businesses of any size, enabling them to uphold high standards without financial strain, ensuring peace of mind through economical choices.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Campion, CO
Hair follicle drug tests offer unsurpassed speed and precision in identifying substance use. With high accuracy rates, it ensures effective monitoring for any signs of drug usage, providing rapid results that can aid in decision-making processes in both professional and personal arenas.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Campion, CO
Implementing hair follicle testing in workplace drug policies ensures adherence to regulations, minimizing legal liabilities. For employers, this reinforces a drug-free environment, enhancing overall workplace safety and trust.

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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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