Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Wilson, LA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is recognized as a valuable means for identifying alcohol and drug consumption. The hair offers an extensive record of drugs and alcohol by encasing biomarkers within the fibers of the developing strand. When gathered near the scalp, hair can reveal up to roughly a 3-month detection period for drugs and alcohol. The collection of hair is straightforward, fairly difficult to tamper with, and convenient to transport.

A 1.5-inch segment of around 200 hair strands (approximately the diameter of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp provides 100mg, which is the optimal sample for assessment and verification. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests involving more than 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is suggested. We advise measuring the sample with a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is unavailable, a similar quantity of body hair can be gathered. When mentioning head hair, we refer to scalp hair solely. Body hair encompasses all other hair categories (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

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

Accessioning consists of the initial handling of a sample into a lab’s system. This step includes ensuring the sample’s seal and proper shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any supplementary data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening entails a preliminary rapid assessment for substances of abuse. Though Screening is a cost-effective method to exclude drug usage in most samples, a positive screen must be confirmed to be valid in legal proceedings. Any samples that appear positive during Screening necessitate a further confirmation step.

If a sample appears positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and made ready for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are retrieved from hair at a considerably lower concentration than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which contributes to the complexity of hair drug testing.

Confirmation of any positive outcome from Screening is done utilizing GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumed positive results are cleansed before confirmation as required. The complete lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is overseen under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug use for up to 90 days, as opposed to urine tests with a shorter detection period.
• Challenging to falsify: Hair drug testing is notably resistant to manipulation, ensuring more accurate results.
• Delivers historical insight: It offers a record of drug usage patterns over time, not limited to recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to identify recent use: Detecting drugs in hair requires approximately 5-7 days.
• Expense: Hair drug tests often incur higher costs than alternative drug testing methods.
• Result variations: Factors such as hair color and individual differences in hair growth can influence the concentration of drug metabolites in the hair.

Note: Although commonly called "hair follicle tests", the analysis is conducted on the hair strand, not the hair follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Wilson, LA outperforms traditional urine tests thanks to its superior detection capabilities. Unlike urine analysis, hair testing reliably captures drug use over a longer period, providing greater accuracy and reliability in results.

Extended Detection Window

In Wilson, LA, hair follicle testing presents an extended detection window of up to 90 days. This comprehensive approach grants employers a detailed view of an individual's substance history, beyond the capacity of traditional testing methods.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Wilson, LA offer a tamper-resistant method, significantly minimizing the risk of sample adulteration. This ensures reliable and unquestionable results, fostering trust in the testing process.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With convenient testing locations nationwide and local options in Wilson, LA, our services are accessible and hassle-free. Accredited Drug Testing ensures testing is quick and easy, without sacrificing quality and reliability.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Wilson, LA, the process for hair follicle testing is both simple and confidential. Ordering and testing are streamlined, ensuring privacy and ease of use from the initial order to result delivery.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Wilson, LA benefits from our competitive pricing and fast turnaround on hair follicle tests. We're committed to offering excellent value, making our services accessible to companies of all scales without compromising on quality.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision and speed of hair follicle drug testing in Wilson, LA is unmatched. Hair tests offer high accuracy, making them a reliable choice for detecting substance use. This method ensures that test results are both fast and dependable, providing confidence in their findings.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Wilson, LA can attain peace of mind with hair follicle testing, ensuring compliance with workplace drug-free policies. This method reduces legal risks and enhances overall safety within the workplace.

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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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