Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Glen Carbon, IL

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as an effective resource for recognizing drug and alcohol consumption. Hair strands entrap indicators of alcohol and drug usage within their fibers, offering an extended historical view. By obtaining samples near the scalp, hair analysis can detect substances over a period of up to three months. This method is straightforward to collect, resistant to tampering, and simple to ship.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches of around 200 hair strands (equivalent to a #2 pencil) taken near the scalp yields 100mg, which is an optimal amount for analysis and validation. For EtG, additional testing, and assessments beyond 10 panels, a specimen weighing 150mg is advisable. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for weighing the specimen is recommended. If scalp hair is unavailable, a comparable amount of body hair can be gathered. References to head hair specifically mean scalp hair, while body hair encompasses all other types (such as facial or axillary hair).

Process Overview

The lab processing of drug test results consists of four primary phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning involves initially integrating a sample into a lab’s system. This step ensures the sample was correctly sealed and transported, assigns it a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any missing data entry absent from electronic chain of custody protocols.

Screening is an initial rapid assessment for markers of substance misuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug presence in most samples, any positive outcome must be confirmed for legal admissibility. Samples with a presumptive positive result in Screening necessitate further confirmation.

Should screening return a presumptive positive, additional hair is extracted from the primary sample for the Extraction phase. Here, substances are isolated from hair at much lower concentrations compared to alternative methods (e.g., urine or saliva), making hair drug analysis a complex technique.

Positive results in screening are confirmed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples deemed presumptively positive undergo necessary cleansing before confirmation. The complete lab procedure, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is conducted in compliance with CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug assessments can reveal drug usage for up to 90 days, whereas urine tests have a shorter detection span.
• Difficult to circumvent: Cheating a hair drug test is extremely challenging, resulting in more reliable outcomes.
• Offers usage history: It provides an overview of drug consumption patterns over time, not solely recent intake.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent consumption: It generally takes 5-7 days for drugs to appear in hair strands.
• Expense: Typically, hair drug assessments cost more than other testing techniques.
• Result variability: Elements like hair pigmentation and personal hair growth differences can influence drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the evaluation examines the hair strand itself, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing, in Glen Carbon, IL, provides a distinct advantage over urine testing. Where traditional urine tests may fail in accuracy or the risk of adulteration, hair testing assures a reliable result.

Unlike urine tests, hair sampling can detect drug use over extended periods, providing a clearer picture of an individual's substance use history, crucial for informed decisions in workplaces and legal contexts.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Glen Carbon, IL, can benefit from hair follicle testing due to its extended detection window. This method reveals a comprehensive substance use history, up to 90 days prior.

Such a broad time frame allows for a more complete understanding of an individual's habits, essential in maintaining a safe and compliant work environment and selecting trustworthy candidates.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Glen Carbon, IL is a significantly tamper-resistant method compared to others. This approach minimizes the potential for sample adulteration.

By requiring actual hair samples, the process reduces the chances of altering or substituting the sample, ensuring trustworthy results essential for workplaces where integrity in testing is pivotal.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Glen Carbon, IL, benefits from our widespread network of testing centers, providing both local and nationwide access. This convenience ensures a smooth and accessible testing process.

With strategically positioned centers, organizations and individuals can easily undergo necessary security and health testing without extended travel or inconvenience.

Simple, Confidential Process

Ordering and receiving test results in Glen Carbon, IL is a straightforward and secure process. Accredited Drug Testing prioritizes confidentiality from start to finish.

The ease with which individuals can undergo testing and be assured of their privacy is crucial, particularly in sensitive health and employment-related scenarios.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Glen Carbon, IL, we offer hair follicle testing with competitive pricing and rapid delivery times. Our financial packages suit businesses of varying sizes, ensuring that everyone benefits from precise testing without the need for steep expenses.

Fast service and fair pricing offer companies peace as they invest in their team’s safety and productivity.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Glen Carbon, IL, hair follicle drug testing stands out for its precise and speedy results. This testing method harnesses cutting-edge technology to deliver reliable outcomes, efficiently detecting substances.

The process not only ensures accuracy but also offers rapid turnaround times, enabling quicker decisions for employers and organizations concerned with substance use various scenarios.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Utilizing hair follicle testing in Glen Carbon, IL helps ensure compliance with drug-free workplace standards. This method reduces legal risks and promotes an atmosphere of safety and trust.

This peace of mind allows employers to focus on fostering productivity, knowing that they have reliable tools for maintaining workplace and policy compliance.

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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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