Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Troy, IL

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis has emerged as an effective method for identifying substance use involving drugs and alcohol. Hair captures a comprehensive record of substance exposure by embedding biomarkers within its growing strands. Collected from near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window of up to roughly three months for drugs and alcohol. The sample collection process for hair is straightforward, with challenges in altering it, and easy for shipping purposes.

A typical 1.5-inch hair sample, akin in size to a #2 pencil and consisting of about 200 strands, produces 100mg of hair, serving as the perfect quantity for screening and confirmation tests. For tests including EtG, add-ons, and those exceeding 10 panels, a larger specimen of 150mg is advisable. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for specimen weight measurement is suggested. In cases where scalp hair is not an option, an equivalent amount of body hair may be used. The term head hair specifically refers to scalp hair, while body hair encompasses all other types (including facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Summary

The laboratory processing for a drug test result involves four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning represents the preliminary processing phase of a sample within a laboratory's system. This phase ensures the sample's proper sealing and shipment, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any data entry not completed by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening acts as the initial, rapid evaluation for drug abuse, offering a cost-efficient method to exclude drug use in most samples. Even so, any positive screen result must undergo confirmation to stand as court-admissible. Samples that show a presumptive positive during Screening necessitate further confirmation.

For samples testing presumptively positive in Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial collection to prepare for the Extraction phase. In this part, drugs are removed from hair at a significantly lower concentration than seen in methods such as urine or oral fluid, presenting hair drug screening as the most complex methodology to conduct.

Confirmation of positive Screening results is achieved through methods like GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Any sample with a presumptive positive result is subjected to washing before confirmation when necessary. The entire laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation adheres to the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and aligns with the accreditation of ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Benefits of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests may identify drug use for up to three months, contrasting with urine tests which have a more limited detection time.
• High difficulty in tampering: Manipulating a hair drug test is notably challenging, resulting in more reliable outcomes.
• Provides historical insights: It can outline a timeline of drug use over a period, rather than just recent usage.

Challenges:

• Inability to detect recent consumption: Detectability of drugs in hair typically requires approximately 5-7 days.
• Expense: Generally, hair drug tests incur higher costs compared to alternative testing methods.
• Outcome variability: Factors such as hair color and individual differences in hair growth can influence drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Though commonly termed as "hair follicle tests," the analysis focuses on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why choose hair follicle testing over urine tests in Troy, IL? Hair testing offers superior detection accuracy and reliability, capturing drug use that urine tests may miss. The expansive detection window of hair testing enhances the ability to identify patterns of use, crucial for maintaining zero-tolerance policies.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Troy, IL, offers an extended detection window of up to 90 days, catching patterns of drug use that might go unnoticed by other tests. This extended period is vital for providing employers with a comprehensive substance use history of an individual.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing drastically reduces the risk of tampering, making it a tamper-resistant option in Troy, IL. The nature of hair samples ensures that results remain reliable and difficult to manipulate, offering peace of mind when accuracy is paramount.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Our nationwide testing centers are easily accessible, including convenient locations in Troy, IL. Clients will benefit from quick and hassle-free access to services whenever and wherever needed.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process for ordering and receiving hair follicle test results in Troy, IL is simple and confidential. Our method prioritizes privacy while streamlining the steps involved, ensuring that users feel secure and at ease.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

With affordable pricing and rapid test result delivery in Troy, IL, our services provide excellent value. Our competitive pricing structures are designed to offer peace of mind for companies of all sizes, reinforcing fast turnaround times for all clients.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Troy, IL, hair follicle drug tests deliver fast, accurate, and reliable results, providing high precision in detecting substance use. This efficiency ensures that individuals and organizations receive the data they need quickly and effectively.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Troy, IL can achieve compliance and peace of mind through hair follicle testing. By ensuring adherence to drug-free policies, companies reduce legal risks while promoting a safe work environment, benefiting everyone involved.

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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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