Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Kennard, IN

What it is, How it works

Regarded as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol usage, hair testing is gaining prominence. Hair retains a prolonged timeline of alcohol and drug consumption by embedding biomarkers within the strands as they grow. Situated near the scalp, hair can reflect a detection window of up to around three months for both alcohol and drugs. Collection is straightforward, it's somewhat resistant to tampering, and it’s easy to transport.

A sample size of 1.5 inches, comprising approximately 200 hair strands (comparable to the thickness of a #2 pencil), nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the preferred quantity for screening and verification. For EtG, supplementary tests, and tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. We advocate for using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. In the absence of scalp hair, a similar amount of body hair may be collected. Here, head hair refers strictly to scalp hair, while body hair includes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The four primary stages included in processing a drug test result in a lab setting are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning involves the initial incorporation of a sample into the laboratory's system. This encompasses confirming the sample’s proper sealing and shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any remaining data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening consists of a preliminary rapid assessment for substances of abuse. Whilst providing a cost-effective method to exclude drug presence in most samples, a positive screen result must be corroborated to be valid in a legal context. Samples that test presumptively positive during Screening necessitate further confirmation.

Should a sample test presumptively positive at the Screening stage, additional hair is taken from the preliminary sample for Extraction. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at notably lower concentrations than found in alternative methodologies (e.g., urine or oral fluid), underpinning why hair drug screening is the most challenging to administer.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcomes is carried out using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples that presumptively tested positive are meticulously washed before confirmation as necessary. The entire process from Accessioning to Confirmation is observed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and accreditation based on ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug use up to 90 days prior, while urine tests feature a briefer detection span.
• Challenging to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test proves exceptionally difficult, ensuring more accurate results.
• Offers historical insights: This method provides a timeline of drug use tendencies over time, not merely recent usage.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: It takes roughly 5-7 days for drugs to become detectable in hair.
• Expense: Compared to other drug testing methods, hair drug tests tend to be pricier.
• Result variations: Elements like hair color and individual hair growth rates can influence the drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Even though commonly referred to as "hair follicle tests", the examination focuses on the hair strand itself, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

When comparing hair follicle tests to traditional urine exams in Kennard, IN, the benefits of the former are evident. Hair testing offers unmatched detection accuracy and reliability, detecting substances over extended periods. In contrast, urine tests may miss recent drug use and are easier to manipulate.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Kennard, IN, offers an extended detection window, capturing drug use over a span of up to 90 days. This comprehensive approach allows employers to understand an applicant or employee's drug history more thoroughly compared to other testing methods.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

The hair follicle testing method used in Kennard, IN, is highly tamper-resistant, greatly reducing the likelihood of sample adulteration. This reliability ensures that the results are unquestionable, providing trustworthy insights into the individual's substance use history.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With convenient testing locations nationwide, including Kennard, IN, accessing hair follicle testing services is quick and hassle-free. The widespread availability of testing centers ensures that individuals can obtain the services they need without delay.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process of ordering, taking, and receiving hair follicle test results in Kennard, IN, is simple and confidential. This streamlined approach addresses privacy concerns and provides an easy-to-use service, ensuring that results are handled discreetly.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Our hair follicle testing services in Kennard, IN, offer competitive pricing and quick turnaround times, ensuring affordability and value for businesses of all sizes. This combination of cost-effectiveness and prompt results gives companies peace of mind and excellent service.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision and speed of hair follicle tests in Kennard, IN, make them an ideal choice for reliable drug detection. Hair testing techniques quickly yield accurate results, capable of identifying substances with high accuracy. This method provides unmatched reliability, ensuring timely delivery of dependable outcomes.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

By adopting hair follicle testing in Kennard, IN, employers can ensure compliance with drug-free workplace policies, minimizing legal risks and enhancing safety. This testing method provides peace of mind by demonstrating a committed approach to maintaining a drug-free environment.

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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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