Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Goffstown, NH

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has increasingly become recognized as an effective method for uncovering drug and alcohol consumption. Hair serves as a long-lasting record of alcohol and drug intake by embedding biomarkers in the strands of growing hair. When taken close to the scalp, hair allows for as much as a 3-month detection period for alcohol and drugs. It is easy to collect, somewhat resistant to tampering, and simple to ship.

A 1.5-inch lock containing around 200 hair strands (approximately the size of a #2 pencil) near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the optimal sample for both screening and confirmation tests. For EtG, additional requests, and/or panels exceeding 10, 150mg of the sample is needed. We recommend using a jeweler’s scale for accurate weighing of the sample. If head hair isn't available, a similar amount of body hair can be collected. When mentioning head hair, we mean scalp hair specifically. Body hair refers to all other hair categories (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four key steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning includes the initial integration of a sample into a lab’s workflow. This process covers checking that the sample was correctly sealed and shipped, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and filling in any additional data entry not covered by an electronic custody chain system.

Screening consists of a preliminary rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. While cost-effective for ruling out drug use in the bulk of samples, a positive screen must be confirmed to be valid in a legal setting. Samples preliminarily positive in Screening require further confirmation.

If Screening indicates a potential positive result, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are removed from the hair at concentrations significantly lower than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), necessitating complexity in hair drug screening.

Confirmation of any positive screening result is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positives are washed before confirmation as necessary. The lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair standard and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug use for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests with a shorter detection window.
• Resistance to tampering: Cheating a hair drug test is challenging, enhancing result accuracy.
• Historical usage data: It maps out a drug use pattern over time, beyond just recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: It takes around 5-7 days for drugs to appear in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests typically cost more than other drug testing techniques.
• Result variability: Aspects like hair color and growth differences can influence metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Although often called "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand rather than the follicle below the scalp

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Goffstown, NH, hair follicle testing outshines traditional urine testing. Hair tests boast superior detection accuracy, uncovering a substance history up to 90 days, whereas urine tests are limited to a shorter detection period.

Extended Detection Window

In Goffstown, NH, hair follicle testing provides an extended detection window of up to 90 days, offering an expansive look at a subject's substance use history, benefiting employers in making informed decisions.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

The tamper-resistant nature of hair follicle tests in Goffstown, NH, reduces the risk of sample manipulation, ensuring trustworthy test outcomes and greater confidence in the results.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With testing centers nationwide, including local ones in Goffstown, NH, accessing hair follicle testing services is straightforward and convenient, enhancing the testing process's efficiency.

Simple, Confidential Process

Our process in Goffstown, NH, for hair follicle testing is designed to be simple and confidential, ensuring the privacy of participants from ordering the test to obtaining results.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Goffstown, NH, our hair follicle drug testing offers competitive pricing and rapid turnaround times, ensuring businesses of various sizes receive excellent value and assurance.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision and speed of hair follicle drug tests make them a preferred choice in Goffstown, NH. These tests offer exceptional accuracy in identifying substance use, providing fast and reliable results.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Hair follicle testing in Goffstown, NH, assists employers in adhering to drug-free workplace policies. It lowers legal risks and significantly boosts workplace safety, offering employers peace of mind.

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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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