Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Lake Park, MN

What it is, How it works

Hair examination is increasingly recognized as a robust method for detecting drug and alcohol use. Hair offers an extended timeline of substance usage by encapsulating biomarkers within the fiber of the growing hair strand. When sourced close to the scalp, hair can provide an approximate detection period of 3 months for alcohol and other drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, fairly resistant to tampering, and easy to mail.

A 1.5-inch sample of around 200 hair strands (comparable in size to a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, ideal for screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, a specimen of 150mg is suggested. Using a jeweler’s scale to weigh the specimen is recommended. If scalp hair is unavailable, a similar quantity of body hair is an acceptable substitute. "Head hair" specifically refers to scalp hair, while "body hair" pertains to all other types of hair (facial, underarm, etc.).

Process Overview

The principal steps in processing a drug test result in the lab are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning refers to the initial incorporation of a sample into the lab’s system. This phase includes confirming the proper sealing and mailing of the sample, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any extra data entry not handled by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening entails a preliminary rapid assessment for drug abuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient approach to exclude drug use in the majority of samples, a positive screen needs subsequent confirmation for legal admissibility. Any samples with presumptive positive results in Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.

If a sample is presumptive positive at the Screening stage, more hair is drawn from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which contributes to the complexity of hair drug screening.

Positive screening results undergo Confirmation through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples identified as presumptive positive are washed before confirmation as required. The entire lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is scrutinized in accordance with the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation along with ISO / IEC 17025 standards of accreditation.

Benefits of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection window: Hair drug tests can identify drug use for a span of up to 90 days, in contrast with urine tests with shorter detection windows.
• Increased difficulty to falsify: Cheating a hair drug test is highly challenging, enhancing result accuracy.
• Offers historical insights: It enables a review of drug use patterns over time, rather than just recent use.

Drawbacks:

• Cannot detect recent usage: Drugs take approximately 5-7 days to become detectable in hair.
• Price: Hair drug tests are usually costlier than alternative testing methods.
• Variability in outcomes: Factors like hair color and personal variances in hair growth can impact drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Although commonly termed "hair follicle tests", the test examines the hair strand itself, not the follicle under the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Lake Park, MN, surpasses traditional urine testing due to superior detection capabilities. It excels where urine tests may fall short, particularly in identifying long-term substance use over a 90-day window. While urine tests may be ideal for recent drug use, hair tests offer reliability and accuracy for detecting chronic drug habits, making them indispensable for thorough drug screening processes.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Lake Park, MN, gain a thorough understanding of an individual's drug history through hair follicle testing's extended detection window. This method reveals substance use over a period of up to 90 days, surpassing the short timeframe of traditional tests. By capturing a wider timeline, hair follicle tests provide a more comprehensive evaluation of potential hires or current employees regarding their drug use history.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Lake Park, MN, are known for their resistance to tampering, unlike some other testing methods. Hair testing's design minimizes the likelihood of adulteration, ensuring that results are both reliable and trustworthy. This integrity in testing builds confidence among employers and legal entities, making hair follicle tests a preferred choice for obtaining uncontaminated and genuine results.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

The convenience of Accredited Drug Testing's nationwide centers, including those in Lake Park, MN, ensures accessible drug testing services. With facilities strategically situated across the country, individuals and employers benefit from swift and uncomplicated access, making drug testing an effortless process. This broad network of locations underscores our commitment to providing excellent service wherever needed.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Lake Park, MN, the process of hair follicle testing is straightforward and confidential, assuaging privacy and ease-of-use concerns. The tests are simple to order, administer, and comprehend, ensuring that results remain private and secure every step of the way. This seamless procedure reflects our dedication to protecting client privacy while delivering accurate results efficiently.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Lake Park, MN, experiences competitive pricing and fast turnaround times in hair follicle testing services. Our commitment to affordability does not sacrifice speed or quality, providing excellent value to businesses of all sizes. By offering reliable results swiftly, companies can enjoy peace of mind knowing they have chosen an economically sound and efficient solution.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision and rapidity of hair follicle drug testing in Lake Park, MN, are unparalleled. Offering high accuracy for substance detection, this method reliably identifies drug use within an extended period. With advanced techniques, results are delivered fast, ensuring that individuals and employers receive timely, accurate information for informed decision-making, bolstering the advantages of choosing hair testing over other methods.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Implementation of hair follicle testing allows Lake Park, MN, employers to ensure adherence to drug-free workplace policies, reducing legal liabilities and fostering a safer work environment. By providing peace of mind through precise and trusted results, these tests help employers comply with regulations while supporting a culture of health and 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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