Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Fort Stewart, GA

What it is, How it works

Hair tests have emerged as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair retains a comprehensive history of alcohol and various drugs by trapping biomarkers within the growing hair strand. When gathered near the scalp, hair can offer a detection period of up to about three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair is straightforward to gather, relatively hard to tamper with, and effortlessly shipped.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches with approximately 200 hair strands (around the size of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is the optimal quantity for analysis and confirmation. When dealing with EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, it is advisable to use 150mg of the sample. It's recommended to measure the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn't accessible, a similar quantity of body hair can be acquired. In reference to head hair, we mean only scalp hair. Body hair includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The four primary stages in the laboratory handling of a drug test result encompass Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning includes the preliminary processing of a specimen into a laboratory’s system. This process confirms that the sample was sealed and sent correctly, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any remaining data entry that isn’t provided by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening serves as an initial rapid assessment for drug abuse. While Screening is a cost-efficient way to exclude drug use for most samples, a positive result requires confirmation for it to be permissible in court. Samples showing presumptive positives in Screening need a secondary confirmation.

If a sample shows a presumptive positive during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and set for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at a concentration much lower than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which is why hair drug testing is the most challenging methodology to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screen result is executed through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are cleaned before confirmation if necessary. The complete laboratory process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Prolonged detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug usage for up to ninety days, in contrast to urine tests which have a shorter detection period.
• Challenges in deception: It's quite challenging to cheat a hair drug test, thus enhancing result accuracy.
• Supplies historical insights: It can showcase a pattern of drug consumption over time, beyond just recent usage.

Limitations:

• Inability to spot recent usage: It takes around five to seven days for drugs to become traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests generally incur higher costs than other drug testing techniques.
• Result variations: Elements like hair color and personal hair growth variations can influence drug metabolite concentrations in the hair.

Note: While commonly labeled as "hair follicle tests", the analysis involves the hair strand and not the scalp's hair follicle.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Fort Stewart, GA, hair follicle testing outshines urine testing by ensuring superior reliability and detection efficacy. The comprehensive nature of hair follicle tests allows for improved accuracy compared to traditional urine tests, offering an ideal solution for environments that prioritize thorough substance screening procedures.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing boasts an extensive detection window up to 90 days, giving Fort Stewart, GA employers insight into an individual’s long-term drug use. This extended period enables a panoramic view of substance behavior over time, beneficial for long-term workplace evaluations and recruitment protocols.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing significantly reduces adulteration potential, offering more dependable results in Fort Stewart, GA. The integrity of the sample recollected from hair remains intact, ensuring that causal contributors to any positive test outcomes are accurately identified, supporting trustworthy diagnostic practices.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Conveniently situated across the nation, our testing centers, including those in Fort Stewart, GA, simplify drug testing processes. Guests enjoy easy and rapid access to these facilities, eliminating logistical concerns and enhancing efficiency in obtaining necessary substance testing services.

Simple, Confidential Process

Our straightforward and discreet hair follicle testing procedure in Fort Stewart, GA assures clients of their privacy, maximizing comfort throughout testing phases. Clients can order, partake, and obtain results seamlessly, addressing confidentiality and user-friendliness concerns.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Fort Stewart, GA, our competitive pricing and speedy response times offer exceptional value to businesses of all scales. By balancing cost-effectiveness and efficiency, companies benefit from reliable drug testing services without unnecessary expenditure, achieving peace of mind.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle tests offer rapid, accurate, and trustworthy results in Fort Stewart, GA. These tests excel in detecting substances with high precision, making them ideal for both personal and professional use. By analyzing the history of drug intake over an extended period, they help stakeholders make informed decisions swiftly without compromise.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

In Fort Stewart, GA, hair follicle testing facilitates compliance with drug-free workplace policies, enhancing organizational safety and reducing legal exposure. Employers gain peace of mind knowing their substance screening methods align with standardized protocols, encouraging secure working environments.

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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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