Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Brewster, MA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is recognized as a significant method for identifying drug and alcohol use. Hair strands capture biomarkers within the hairs as they grow, providing a long-term overview of substance use. When hair is gathered near the scalp, it can offer a detection span of up to three months for drugs and alcohol. Hair collection is easy, challenging to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.

A hair sample measuring 1.5 inches with roughly 200 strands (similar in size to a #2 pencil) near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the optimal amount for both screening and confirmation. For tests involving EtG, extras, or more than 10 panels, 150mg of hair is suggested. It's advisable to use a jeweler’s scale to measure the hair. Should scalp hair be inaccessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be used. By head hair, we mean scalp hair exclusively. Alternatively, body hair encompasses any other hair type (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The drug testing process in a lab comprises four key stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails integrating a sample into a lab’s system, ensuring the sample was correctly sealed and dispatched, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any further data entries absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening offers an initial straightforward examination for substance use. Though Screening efficiently rules out drug use for most samples, a positive result demands confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples with presumptive positive results during Screening require further validation.

Should a sample yield a presumptive positive during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the original sample for Extraction. Here, drugs are isolated from hair in lesser concentrations relative to alternative methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening one of the most intricate methods available.

Confirmation of any positive results from screening is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples undergo necessary washing before confirmation. The entire process from Accessioning to Confirmation is examined under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and conforms to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can detect drugs up to 90 days, unlike urine tests, which have narrower detection spans.
• Hard to tamper with: Cheating a hair drug test is very challenging, resulting in more reliable outcomes.
• Historical data provision: Hair tests can illustrate drug use patterns over time, rather than merely indicating recent use.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent use: It takes drugs 5-7 days to become traceable in hair.
• Higher expense: Hair drug tests generally cost more than other testing approaches.
• Differing results: Factors like hair color and personal hair growth variations can alter the level of drug metabolites present in the hair.

Note: Even though it's sometimes called a "hair follicle test", the test analyzes the hair strand itself rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Brewster, MA
When comparing hair testing to conventional urine tests, the benefits become clear. Hair testing significantly enhances detection accuracy and reliability. Unlike urine tests, hair samples provide a comprehensive overview of past drug use, minimizing the chances of false negatives and ensuring a reliable assessment of substance intake.

Extended Detection Window

Extended Detection Window in Brewster, MA
Hair follicle testing shines with its long detection period—up to 90 days. Employers in Brewster gain a thorough insight into a candidate or employee's substance use history. This method surpasses others by offering a panoramic view of past drug use, proving vital for maintaining a safe and productive workplace.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Brewster, MA
Reducing sample tampering is a major advantage of hair follicle testing. In Brewster, this method is virtually impervious to adulteration, ensuring the integrity of the results. The collection process leaves little room for manipulation, providing employers with testing results they can truly trust.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Brewster, MA
Our testing services extend conveniently across the country. In Brewster, MA, finding a testing center is simple and hassle-free, ensuring easy access. The nationwide network guarantees you receive the support and services you need without unnecessary delay or inconvenience.

Simple, Confidential Process

Simple, Confidential Process in Brewster, MA
The process to order, undertake, and receive hair test results is straightforward and confidential. In Brewster, privacy is assured at every step. Whether scheduling a test or receiving results, the procedure respects your privacy while remaining efficient and user-friendly.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Brewster, MA
Competitive pricing and rapid turnaround times define our services in Brewster. We ensure businesses of all sizes receive excellent value, with methods designed to deliver swift results. Our pricing structures facilitate access to fast and reliable testing, making us a cost-effective choice.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Brewster, MA
Hair follicle testing is swiftly becoming the benchmark for drug detection. In Brewster, MA, these tests are renowned for their speedy and precise results. The method is highly efficient, ensuring each test accurately reflects substance use. With results that you can rely on, it sets a new standard in drug testing accuracy.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Brewster, MA
Using hair follicle testing aligns with workplace drug-free policies, giving employers peace of mind. In Brewster, this testing helps minimize legal risks and bolster safety protocols. It safeguards businesses by ensuring adherence to regulations, thus significantly enhancing workplace security.

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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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