Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Somonauk, IL

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is increasingly viewed as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. It captures long-term use by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of hair strands as they grow. Hair samples cut near the scalp can reveal drug and alcohol usage for up to around three months. It's easy to collect, relatively difficult to tamper with, and convenient to transport.

To screen and confirm, a 1.5-inch sample of roughly 200 hair strands closest to the scalp yields 100mg, which is the preferred sample size. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding 10, a 150mg sample is suggested. Using a jeweler’s scale for weighing is ideal. If scalp hair isn't an option, a comparable amount of body hair can be used. By "head hair," we specifically mean scalp hair. "Body hair" encompasses other types, such as facial or underarm hair.

Process Overview

The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four key stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is about entering a sample into the lab's system, ensuring it's correctly sealed and delivered, assigning it a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any extra data entry absent in an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening performs an initial swift analysis for substances of abuse. Although cost-effective for eliminating drug usage in most cases, a positive screening requires confirmation to hold in court. Any positive screening calls for additional confirmation.

Upon a positive result in Screening, extra hair is taken from the original sample and prepared for Extraction. This entails extracting drugs at much lower concentrations than in typical methods (such as urine or oral fluid), explaining why hair drug screening is a challenging process.

GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS are used to confirm any positive screening outcomes. Necessary washes are carried out on all presumptive positives before confirmation. The process—Accessioning to Confirmation—is examined under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Unlike urine tests, hair drug tests can identify drug use over a 90-day timeframe.
• Hard to falsify: The accuracy of hair drug tests is high due to the difficulty of cheating.
• Historical insight: Provides insights into drug use patterns over time, not just immediate consumption.

Limitations:

• Not for recent use detection: Drugs typically become detectable in hair around 5-7 days post-use.
• Expense: Hair drug tests tend to cost more than alternative methods.
• Result variability: Drug metabolite concentration in hair can vary due to hair color and individual growth rates.

Note: Popularly termed "hair follicle tests", these tests analyze the hair strands, not the follicles below the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Somonauk, IL, hair follicle tests offer significant advantages over traditional urine tests. The primary benefit is their ability to detect substance use over a longer period and with greater accuracy and reliability, ensuring uncompromised results.

Unlike urine tests, hair testing is more secure, with a collection process that's noticeably harder to tamper with. This gives employers confidence in the results and ensures adherence to strict drug-free workplace policies.

Extended Detection Window

Somonauk, IL benefits from hair follicle testing's extended detection window, with the capability to trace substance use over up to 90 days. This offers employers a thorough insight into an individual’s drug use history.

The extended detection period provided by hair follicle tests is invaluable for employers seeking comprehensive reviews of a candidate’s or employee's substance use history, ensuring sound hiring decisions.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests conducted in Somonauk, IL, significantly minimize the possibility of tampering, offering employers confidence in the reliability and authenticity of the results.

The tamper-resistant nature of hair follicle tests ensures that each sample remains secure and uncompromised, providing results that can be trusted without question, unlike other testing methods.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Convenience is key in Somonauk, IL, with nationwide testing centers that make accessing hair follicle drug testing quick and effortless, ensuring an easy and stress-free experience.

Local testing facilities further enhance convenience, providing quick, easy, and seamless access to quality testing services, minimizing downtime for individuals and organizations alike.

Simple, Confidential Process

Hair follicle testing in Somonauk, IL, offers a straightforward and confidential process; from ordering to sampling and receiving results, ease of use and privacy are assured.

This simple process ensures that individuals and firms alike can navigate the testing seamlessly and confidently, reinforcing the privacy and confidentiality of the results.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Competitive pricing makes hair follicle testing in Somonauk, IL, an attractive choice for businesses, offering fast turnaround times and great value.

Our affordable approach allows companies of all sizes to implement effective testing programs without financial strain, providing value and peace of mind through quick, reliable service.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Somonauk, IL, the hair follicle drug tests provide results that are both fast and highly accurate. These tests stand out due to their precision in detecting substance use, making them a reliable choice for employers and other entities.

With the high-speed capabilities of hair follicle testing, businesses and organizations can rely on rapid results. This allows for swift decision-making based on reliable data, an essential aspect for any workforce.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Somonauk, IL find hair follicle testing advantageous in maintaining compliance with drug-free policies, reducing legal and workplace safety risks.

By utilizing hair follicle testing, businesses improve their adherence to drug-free commitments, thereby enhancing safety and reducing liabilities. This testing method assures peace of mind for companies and their workforce.

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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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