Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Elk Creek, NE

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has become recognized as a robust method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged record of these substances by embedding biomarkers within the growing hair strand fibers. When obtained near the scalp, hair can offer nearly a 3-month window for detecting both alcohol and drugs. Collection of hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and easily shipped.

A 1.5-inch sample, consisting of around 200 hair strands (roughly the thickness of a #2 pencil) close to the scalp, will yield 100mg of hair, which is the ideal amount for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a specimen weighing 150mg is suggested. It is advisable to use a jeweler’s scale to weigh the specimen accurately. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be used. When mentioning head hair, we refer exclusively to scalp hair. Body hair denotes all other hair types (including facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The principal stages in the laboratory processing of a drug test result are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning encompasses the initial sample processing within the laboratory’s system, including ensuring that the sample is properly sealed and dispatched, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any further data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening entails a preliminary swift check for drugs of abuse. While Screening provides a cost-efficient way to dismiss drug usage for most samples, any positive screening requires confirmation to be deemed admissible in court. Presumptively positive samples in Screening necessitate a follow-up confirmation.

Should a sample screen presumptively positive, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair in much lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most challenging methodology to conduct.

Confirmation for any positive screening result is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptively positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as necessary. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation undergoes review under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests have the capacity to detect drug usage up to 90 days, unlike urine tests that have a shorter detection span.
• Harder to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test is notably challenging, ensuring more reliable results.
• Offers historical insight: It reveals a pattern of drug use over time, rather than just recent activity.

Limitations:

• Inability to identify recent use: Drugs require approximately 5-7 days to be traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests are often costlier than alternative drug testing options.
• Result variability: Elements like hair color and individual differences in hair growth can influence drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Though often termed "hair follicle tests", the testing process examines the hair strand rather than the follicle found beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Elk Creek, NE, hair follicle testing offers significant advantages over traditional urine tests. Not only do these tests provide superior detection accuracy, but they also deliver reliable results.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Elk Creek, NE, provides a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s substance history by detecting drug use for up to 90 days, far exceeding the scope of traditional testing methods.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Employing hair follicle tests in Elk Creek, NE, ensures sample integrity. These tests drastically minimize the chances of tampering, yielding results that are both reliable and indisputable.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Our numerous testing centers, including those in Elk Creek, NE, provide convenient, nationwide access, making the drug testing process quick, easy, and hassle-free.

Simple, Confidential Process

The process of ordering, taking, and receiving results for hair follicle drug testing in Elk Creek, NE, is straightforward and confidential, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring ease of use.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Elk Creek, NE, competitive pricing and fast turnaround times for hair follicle testing offer excellent value and reassurance for businesses of all sizes.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The rapid, precise nature of hair follicle drug testing in Elk Creek, NE, is unmatched. These tests provide high accuracy levels for substance detection, quickly identifying any potential drug use.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

In Elk Creek, NE, utilizing hair follicle testing for compliance with drug-free workplace policies enhances safety and reduces legal liabilities, offering peace of mind to employers.

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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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