Hair Follicle Drug Testing - West Salem, IL

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is regarded as a robust method for identifying drug and alcohol usage. Hair acts as a record keeper of drugs and alcohol over the long term by encapsulating biomarkers within the fibers as the hair strand develops. When clipped near the scalp, hair offers a detection timeframe of up to about three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair is easy to gather, hard to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.

A 1.5-inch segment with around 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil's thickness) near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is the perfect sample for analysis and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and panels exceeding 10, it is advised to collect 150mg of the sample. We suggest measuring the weight of the specimen with a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn't present, a comparable quantity of body hair can be obtained. When mentioning head hair, we mean scalp hair specifically. Body hair includes other types (like facial or axillary hair).

Process Overview

There are four major phases in the testing process for a drug test result: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning covers the first stage of entering a sample into a lab’s system. This process involves verifying the proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any missing data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves an initial rapid assessment for substances of abuse. Though Screening is an economical means to eliminate drug usage in most samples, samples that get a positive result in Screening need follow-up confirmation to stand legally. Any samples deemed presumptively positive in Screening require a secondary confirmation step.

If a sample is tentatively positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the primary specimen and processed for Extraction. This phase allows drugs to be isolated from hair at significantly lower concentrations than other techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug testing the most challenging technique to execute.

Verification of any positive screening outcome is done via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo a cleaning process before confirmation as necessary. The entire lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is assessed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair category and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection window: Hair drug assessments can identify drug presence for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which have a shorter detection span.
• Hard to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test is highly unlikely, ensuring more precise results.
• Offers historical patterns: It can reveal a trend of drug use over an extended timeline, not merely recent use.

Limitations:

• Unable to spot recent usage: It requires 5-7 days for drugs to be traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests tend to be more costly than other drug testing methods.
• Diverse outcomes: Elements like hair pigmentation and individual hair growth differences can influence the concentration of drug traces in hair.

Note: Even though often termed as "hair follicle tests", the test itself examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in West Salem, IL
The advantages of hair testing are plentiful when compared to urine tests. Hair analysis offers a broader detection window and captures substance use indicators over a longer period. This reliable accuracy gives employers confidence, knowing they take a more thorough approach in drug screening, avoiding the limitations common in traditional urine testing methods.

Extended Detection Window

Extended Detection Window in West Salem, IL
Hair follicle tests provide insights into drug usage up to 90 days before testing, a far more extensive scope than urine tests. For employers, this broader view is crucial in evaluating a potential hire's substance use history, thus ensuring a well-informed decision-making process that significantly influences workplace integrity.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in West Salem, IL
Hair follicle tests offer a highly tamper-resistant alternative for trustworthy analysis. Due to its advanced technique, this method prevents the chances of sample manipulation, reassuring testers and ensuring dependable results. This robustness is vital for maintaining fairness and accuracy in testing.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in West Salem, IL
The convenience of our extensive testing network ensures easy accessibility across the nation. In West Salem, our local facilities provide quick access to these services, ensuring testing is an easy and seamless process, reflecting our commitment to accessible and efficient assessments throughout.

Simple, Confidential Process

Simple, Confidential Process in West Salem, IL
Our hair follicle testing ensures simplicity and confidentiality. From ordering to obtaining results, the process is straightforward, addressing privacy concerns effectively. Users enjoy ease of use without compromising on personal or professional data confidentiality, promoting a stress-free experience.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in West Salem, IL
We offer cost-effective price models and swift turnaround for test results. Our approach gives businesses of various sizes substantial savings while ensuring expeditious responses. This balance of affordability and efficiency puts us ahead in terms of value and peace of mind.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in West Salem, IL
Hair follicle drug tests deliver prompt and precise results. Testees benefit from highly accurate detections of drug use as the method targets long-term consumption patterns. With the increasing need for speed and precision in drug tests, hair follicle assessments easily fit these requirements at testing locations in West Salem.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in West Salem, IL
By adopting hair follicle testing, employers mitigate legal risks associated with drug use while fostering a safer workplace. This method complies with drug-free workplace policies, thus enhancing overall security and trust, leading to both regulatory compliance and employer satisfaction.

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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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