Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Bishopville, MD

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is regarded as an effective way to identify usage of drugs and alcohol. By locking in biomarkers within the fibers of hair as it grows, hair offers a long-standing record of alcohol and drug use. When gathered close to the scalp, hair can reveal up to a 3-month detection period for both alcohol and drugs. Its collection is straightforward, somewhat resistant to tampering, and easy to transport.

Obtaining a 1.5-inch segment containing roughly 200 hair strands (or the diameter of a #2 pencil) near the scalp provides 100mg of hair, which is the preferred quantity for screening and verification. For EtG, additional assessments, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advised. It's suggested to use a jeweler’s scale to weigh the sample. If scalp hair is lacking, a comparable volume of body hair can be used. Here, head hair denotes only scalp hair, while body hair refers to any other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The primary procedures in analyzing a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is about the initial entry of a specimen into the lab's workflow. This step ensures the specimen was properly sealed and shipped, allocates a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and tackles any extra data input not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening serves as an initial assessment for substances of abuse. Though a cost-efficient means to preclude drug use in most samples, any positive screening needs further verification to hold up in legal proceedings. Any samples deemed presumptively positive from Screening require additional confirmation.

At the point where a sample is potentially positive from the Screening phase, extra hair is withdrawn from the original sample and readied for Extraction. Here, drugs are drawn from hair at significantly lower concentrations than in other sampling methods (such as urine or oral fluid), making hair drug analysis one of the more challenging methods to execute.

Verification of any positive screening result is performed with GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS technology. All presumptively positive samples undergo washing as necessary before confirmation. The end-to-end lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is certified under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair criteria and ISO/IEC 17025 standard accreditations.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection window: Hair drug tests can pinpoint drug use up to 90 days, whereas urine tests offer a shorter detection span.
• Cheating deterrents: It's notably challenging to manipulate a hair drug test, thus maintaining result accuracy.
• Reports past usage: Offers a timeline of drug consumption as opposed to just detecting recent use.

Limitations:

• Incapacitated in spotting recent use: Drugs become detectable in hair approximately 5-7 days post-usage.
• Expense: Hair drug examinations often cost more than other drug analysis techniques.
• Result variance: Elements like hair color and personal hair growth differences can impact the concentration of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Although frequently referred to as "hair follicle tests", the examination actually analyzes the hair strand itself rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

When comparing hair follicle to urine tests in Bishopville, MD, hair testing prevails. Its superior detection capability and reliability overshadow traditional urine tests. Hair tests offer an extensive detection period, providing a wider scope of drug use history, far beyond the limitations of urine tests, ensuring higher accuracy in substance detection.

Extended Detection Window

Bishopville, MD benefits from hair follicle testing's capacity to uncover drug use over a notable span, up to 90 days. This extended window gives employers a thorough look into the substance background of staff or candidates, offering deeper insights than short-term tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Bishopville, MD are highly tamper-resistant, thereby reducing the likelihood of sample adulteration dramatically. This method ensures that the results remain reliable and unquestionable, providing consistency to employers seeking authenticity in their drug screening processes.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accredited Drug Testing offers easy access with testing centers conveniently located nationwide and locally in Bishopville, MD. With this widespread network, clients can access swift and straightforward testing services, ensuring minimal disruption to their schedules.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process for hair follicle testing in Bishopville, MD is simple and confidential. Ordering, administering, and receiving test results is straightforward, emphasizing privacy and user-friendly procedures to ease concerns about secrecy and complexity for both employees and employers.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Bishopville, MD, the pricing for hair follicle tests is competitive and offers fast turnaround times. Companies of varying sizes benefit from this economical option, gaining excellent value and swift, reliable results which contribute to a stress-free experience.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Bishopville, MD, hair follicle drug tests are renowned for their fast, accurate, and reliable results. These tests boast remarkable precision, effectively identifying substance use, ensuring employers receive dependable data. The streamlined process highlights speed and high accuracy, offering a clear advantage over traditional testing methods.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Bishopville, MD enjoy compliance and peace of mind with hair follicle testing. This method aligns with drug-free workplace policies, minimizing legal risks. By choosing hair tests, employers reduce compliance headaches and enhance workplace safety standards.

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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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