Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Wah Keeney Park, CO

What it is, How it works

Hair screening is recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. This method offers a comprehensive timeline of substance intake by capturing biomarkers within the hair's growing fibers. When acquired near the scalp, hair samples can indicate drug or alcohol use within an almost three-month timeframe. Collecting hair is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and conveniently shippable.

A 1.5-inch chunk of about 200 hairs (equivalent to a #2 pencil thickness) near the scalp yields 100mg, an ideal sample size for assessment and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and screens exceeding 10 panels, 150mg is preferable. It's advisable to measure the sample on a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn't accessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be collected. When mentioning head hair, it pertains strictly to scalp hair. Body hair denotes all other varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Summary

The processing of drug tests in a lab includes four key phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning covers the initial integration of a specimen into a lab’s database. This step involves confirming the sample was correctly sealed and transported, allotting a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing extra data input absent from an electronic custody chain system.

Screening performs a rapid assessment for substance abuse. Although Screening is an economical approach for ruling out drugs in most samples, court validation requires confirming positive results. Presumably positive samples from Screening necessitate further confirmation.

If a specimen is preliminarily found positive during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the original sample and prepared for Extraction. Here, substances are extracted from hair at a significantly lower concentration compared to other methods (like urine or oral fluid), rendering hair screening the most complex methodology to execute.

Confirmation of any preliminary positive result is conducted using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All preliminary positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as needed. The comprehensive lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is reviewed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Benefits of hair drug testing:

• Extensive detection window: Hair tests can identify drug use up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which offer a shorter detection span.
• Challenge to falsify: Tampering with hair drug tests is highly difficult, enhancing result reliability.
• Shows usage patterns: It reveals trends in substance usage over time, not just recent consumption.

Drawbacks:

• Doesn't identify recent usage: Drugs become detectable in hair around 5-7 days post-consumption.
• Price: Hair drug tests generally cost more than other testing methods.
• Variability in findings: Elements like hair color and individual hair growth differences can alter drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Despite often being termed "hair follicle tests," the method analyzes the hair strand itself, not the follicle below the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Wah Keeney Park, CO, hair follicle tests provide a superior alternative to urine testing. They offer greater detection accuracy and reliability, greatly beneficial for employers.

While traditional urine tests have been common, hair follicle testing in Wah Keeney Park offers an advantage with its extended detection timeframe, increasing its utility over time.

Extended Detection Window

For those in Wah Keeney Park, CO, seeking a long detection window, hair follicle testing offers insights into drug use up to 90 days prior, beneficial for long-term insight into behavior.

Employers in Wah Keeney Park, CO, benefit from comprehensive views of an individual’s substance history, thanks to this extensive detection period.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In Wah Keeney Park, CO, hair follicle testing offers a tamper-resistant drug screening method, paramount for delivering unquestionable results.

Thanks to the significant reduction in sample adulteration risks, hair testing in Wah Keeney Park provides reliable results you can trust.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

In Wah Keeney Park, CO, our vast nationwide testing centers network facilitates quick and easy access to services, enabling hassle-free testing.

Convenient local locations make drug testing in Wah Keeney Park straightforward and efficient, supporting diverse client needs effectively.

Simple, Confidential Process

For those in Wah Keeney Park, CO, the hair follicle testing process is simple and confidential, ensuring privacy and ease from ordering to result reception.

Clients in Wah Keeney Park benefit from a streamlined process that ensures both convenience and privacy are maintained throughout.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

With our affordable pricing and fast turnaround in Wah Keeney Park, CO, hair follicle testing offers value for companies of all scales, providing peace of mind.

Competitive prices alongside quick result times in Wah Keeney Park make our testing an excellent choice for budget-conscious businesses.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle drug tests are celebrated in Wah Keeney Park, CO, for their high precision and speedy results. With unmatched accuracy, they reliably detect substance use.

The quick turnaround of hair follicle tests ensures that in Wah Keeney Park, CO, clients receive accurate results without delay, offering confidence in the testing process.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Wah Keeney Park, CO, gain peace of mind and ensure compliance with drug-free workplace policies through hair follicle testing, minimizing legal risk.

Through hair testing, companies in Wah Keeney Park enhance workplace safety and mitigate drug-related issues consistently.

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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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