Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Belview, MN

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis has emerged as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged record of alcohol and drugs by embedding biomarkers within the hair's growing strand fibers. When collected near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window of up to around three months for alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, relatively resistant to tampering, and simple to transport.

A 1.5-inch segment of approximately 200 hair strands (about the thickness of a #2 pencil) from the nearest part of the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the optimal sample size for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a sample size of 150mg is suggested. It is advisable to weigh the sample with a jeweler's scale. If scalp hair is inaccessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be harvested. References to head hair pertain strictly to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

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

Accessioning includes the preliminary processing of a sample into a lab's system. This phase encompasses verification that the sample was sealed and shipped correctly, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening constitutes an initial expeditious drug abuse check. Though Screening is an economical method to exclude drug use in most samples, any positive screen must be confirmed for court acceptance. Samples identified as presumptively positive during Screening require a secondary confirmation.

Should a sample test presumptively positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample for Extraction preparation. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at a substantially lower concentration than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening a challenging methodology.

Confirmation for any positive Screening result is performed through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Prior to confirmation as needed, all presumptive positive samples are cleansed. The entire 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.

Benefits of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection timeframe: Hair drug testing can trace drug use for up to 90 days, compared to the shorter detection period of urine tests.
• Hard to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test is highly challenging, enhancing the accuracy of results.
• Offers chronological data: It can disclose a pattern of drug use over time, not just recent usage.

Drawbacks:

• Inability to detect recent use: Drugs require approximately 5-7 days to become detectable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests tend to be more costly compared to other drug testing techniques.
• Result variability: Variables such as hair color and individual hair growth variance can influence the concentration of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Although often termed "hair follicle tests", the test analyzes the hair strand rather than the hair follicle beneath the scalp

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Belview, MN, surpasses traditional urine tests in several ways. With a superior detection capability, hair tests ensure a higher level of accuracy and reliability. Traditional tests often miss detection, leading to potential oversight of substance use, whereas hair tests provide a thorough overview over a longer period.

Extended Detection Window

In Belview, MN, hair follicle tests offer an extensive detection window of up to 90 days for drug use. This prolonged period allows employers to comprehensively assess the substance history of employees or applicants, showing a detailed view beyond the limitations of traditional testing methods.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

One of the standout benefits of hair follicle testing in Belview, MN, is its tamper-resistant nature. The method significantly reduces the chance of sample adulteration, ensuring the integrity and reliability of your results with a testing method that is extremely difficult to manipulate.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Our extensive network of testing centers ensures that residents of Belview, MN, can access convenient and reliable testing services without undue hassle. These nationwide locations ensure testing is straightforward and rapid, reducing the time and effort required to participate in drug testing procedures.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Belview, MN, ordering, partaking in, and receiving results from hair follicle tests is a simple and confidential process. We address privacy concerns seriously, ensuring that individuals find the testing procedure easy to navigate while maintaining complete confidentiality at all stages.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing and quick turnaround times, our hair follicle testing services in Belview, MN, provide businesses with excellent value. Regardless of business size, our solutions deliver rapid results without compromising on quality and accuracy, ensuring both affordability and efficiency.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Belview, MN, hair follicle drug tests offer quick, accurate results, giving you confidence in the detection of substance use. Precision is crucial, and hair tests excel at ensuring each result is reliable and unequivocal, making them an ideal choice for those seeking dependable testing solutions.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

For employers in Belview, MN, hair follicle testing ensures compliance with company drug-free policies, offering peace of mind and reducing legal risks. Implementing such testing provides a safe and secure workplace, aligning with the organization's commitment to safety and regulation adherence.

Drug Testing Near Belview, MN

Granite Falls, MN

Morton, MN

Danube, MN

Milroy, MN

Hanley Falls, MN

Wabasso, MN

Lucan, MN

Bechyn, MN

Sacred Heart, MN

North Redwood, MN

Redwood Falls, MN

Wood Lake, MN

Vesta, MN

Delhi, MN

Echo, MN

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Customer Reviews