Hair Follicle Drug Testing - East Grand Rapids, MI

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is now recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. The fibers of the growing hair strand trap biomarkers, offering a long-term record of alcohol and drug usage. When taken near the scalp, hair can reveal a detection window extending up to about 3 months for alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to collect, relatively tamper-proof, and straightforward to transport.

A 1.5-inch sample encompassing approximately 200 hair strands (roughly the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, which is the optimal sample amount for assessment and validation. For EtG, additional analyses, or tests beyond 10 panels, 150mg of the specimen is suggested. We recommend using a jeweler’s scale for specimen weighing. If scalp hair is absent, an equivalent volume of body hair may be gathered. "Head hair" pertains solely to scalp hair, whereas "body hair" includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The four essential steps in the lab processing of a drug test outcome include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is the initial phase of entering a sample into a lab’s system. It involves confirming that the sample was properly sealed and shipped, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening is a preliminary quick analysis for substances of abuse. Although Screening is a cost-effective strategy to negate drug use in most samples, a positive screen requires confirmation to be valid in court. Any samples preliminarily positive in Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.

Upon a presumptive positive result in the Screening phase, more hair is drawn from the initial sample and prepared for Extraction. At this point, drugs are extracted from hair at a concentration lower than in other methods (such as urine or oral fluid), which renders hair drug screening the most challenging method to conduct.

Confirmation of any presumptively positive screening outcome is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with a presumptive positive status undergo washing before confirmation as necessary. The comprehensive lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection window: Hair drug tests can identify drug use for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests, which offer a shorter detection timeline.
• Hard to falsify: It is notably difficult to outsmart a hair drug test, enhancing result accuracy.
• Yields historical data: It can provide a drug use pattern over time, not merely recent use.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: It takes approximately 5-7 days for drugs to become traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests are typically pricier than other drug testing methods.
• Result variability: Variations in hair color and individual differences in hair growth can influence drug metabolite concentration in the hair.

Note: Although commonly called "hair follicle tests", the test in fact examines the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In East Grand Rapids, MI, hair follicle testing surpasses urine testing in its ability to detect substance use accurately. Compared to traditional urine tests, hair analysis provides a longer detection period and higher accuracy.
Hair tests can uncover substance use over a period extending up to 90 days, offering businesses a clear picture of an individual's drug history, which urine tests cannot.

While urine tests might serve immediate detection needs, hair testing in East Grand Rapids provides superior reliability. It's favored by employers aiming for comprehensive substance use insights beyond the conventional urine test scope.

Extended Detection Window

East Grand Rapids, MI benefits from hair follicle testing's extended detection window, providing a comprehensive view of an individual's substance history. Unlike other tests, a hair follicle test can track drug use up to 90 days.
The detailed insight into past drug use helps employers in making informed hiring decisions, ensuring workplace safety with a thorough review of an applicant's or employee's substance-related behavior over time.

This extensive detection window allows East Grand Rapids businesses to choose employees with a consistent drug-free history, thus safeguarding their work environment and enhancing productivity through informed hiring.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in East Grand Rapids, MI are designed to be tamper-resistant, drastically reducing the chances of sample manipulation. This makes hair testing a reliable option for accurate results.
Unlike urine tests which can be adulterated more easily, hair tests are nearly impossible to cheat, ensuring results that employers can trust without question or second-guessing their validity.

The reliability of hair testing ensures East Grand Rapids employers receive consistent and trustworthy results, rendering this method a superior option for identifying substance use histories.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With convenient testing locations nationwide and local centers in East Grand Rapids, MI, accessing drug testing services is easy and hassle-free. Accredited Drug Testing ensures fast and efficient service wherever you are.
Our presence across the nation guarantees that individuals and businesses can quickly and smoothly facilitate hair drug tests without inconvenience.

The ease of accessibility to testing centers in East Grand Rapids ensures that getting a hair follicle drug test is neither time-consuming nor cumbersome, enhancing user experience through convenience.

Simple, Confidential Process

In East Grand Rapids, MI, the hair follicle testing procedure is simple and confidential. The process of ordering, taking the test, and receiving results is straightforward, ensuring user privacy is maintained.
Confidentiality is paramount, allowing individuals and companies to trust the system for discreet and efficient service. This encourages more individuals to participate in testing knowing their privacy is respected.

With an uncomplicated and secure approach, East Grand Rapids residents can rely on an efficient system for drug testing that protects personal information while offering comprehensive results seamlessly, catering to personal and corporate needs.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Accredited Drug Testing offers competitive pricing and fast turnaround times in East Grand Rapids, MI, ensuring excellent value. Our cost-effective services guarantee affordability across various business scales.
Companies benefit from pricing structures that accommodate budgets without compromising on service or speed, making us an ideal choice for comprehensive hair follicle drug testing.

For East Grand Rapids companies, our prompt service combined with reasonable rates ensures great value and satisfaction, ensuring high-quality results without financial strain, maintaining safety and adhering to drug policies effectively.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In East Grand Rapids, MI, the hair follicle drug test stands out for its fast, accurate, and reliable results. This test is renowned for its ability to detect substances with high precision, making it a favorite for those requiring trustworthy results.
Hair tests quickly process samples, ensuring prompt and dependable results that businesses need to maintain a safe and productive work environment.

The rapid turnaround time of hair testing in East Grand Rapids offers unparalleled accuracy, making it a foremost choice for substance detection. With high levels of precision, companies are provided with the reliability they need for enforcing drug-free policies effectively.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Hair follicle testing in East Grand Rapids, MI offers employers compliance and peace of mind with drug-free workplace policies. By ensuring adherence to these policies, it reduces legal risks.
This efficient testing method helps maintain a safe work environment, leading to improved workplace safety and a reduction in accidents, enhancing overall productivity.

Employers prioritize compliance, and hair testing provides a means to achieve peace of mind by ensuring robust adherence to anti-drug regulations, ultimately reflecting positively on company standards and employee safety.

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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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