Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is now recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged history of substance use by embedding biomarkers within the strands of growing hair. If gathered near the scalp, hair can provide up to about a 3-month detection timeline for drugs and alcohol. Hair collection is straightforward, relatively hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.

A 1.5-inch section of roughly 200 strands of hair (comparable in size to a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp will produce 100mg of hair, which is the ideal amount for testing and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, a 150mg sample is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale to weigh the specimen is suggested. If scalp hair is not available, an equal amount of body hair can be obtained. In this context, head hair denotes only scalp hair. Body hair comprises all other hair types (including facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

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

Accessioning is the initial integration of a sample within a laboratory’s system. This step involves ensuring the sample was properly sealed and transported, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and fulfilling any extra data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves a preliminary rapid assessment for substance misuse. Even though Screening is a cost-efficient approach to exclude drug usage in most cases, a confirmed positive result is necessary to hold up in legal proceedings. Samples that are presumptively positive in Screening require further confirmation.

If a sample tests presumptively positive during the Screening phase, more hair is extracted from the initial sample for the Extraction phase. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at much lower concentrations than seen in alternative methods (such as urine or oral fluid testing), making hair drug screening the most challenging methodology to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is carried out through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positive results are cleaned before confirmation as needed. The comprehensive laboratory workflow, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is reviewed according to both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair specification and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug use up to 90 days prior, while urine tests have a shorter testable range.
• High difficulty to manipulate: Given its nature, altering hair drug test results is highly challenging, making outcomes more credible.
• Historic usage data: It reveals trends in drug consumption over time, rather than solely recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent consumption: It requires about 5-7 days for substances to be detectable in hair.
• Expense: Typically, hair drug tests incur more costs than other screening methods.
• Result variability: Factors like hair color and personal hair growth differences can influence drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Frequently termed as "hair follicle tests," the analysis actually examines the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why does hair follicle testing outshine urine testing in Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ? The answer lies in superior detection accuracy and heightened reliability. Hair testing demonstrates a broader detection window than traditional urine tests—ensuring higher accountability and reducing the chances of evasion by test takers.

Extended Detection Window

With an extended detection period, hair follicle testing in Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, offers unique advantages. Employers gain insight into up to 90 days of a person’s substance history, crucial for assessing ongoing drug habits. Such a comprehensive timeline helps companies evaluate applicants or employees with clarity and detail usually unavailable with shorter-duration tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, greatly mitigate the risk of interfering with sample integrity, offering tamper-resistant testing. This reliability ensures data accuracy, maintaining stakeholder trust. The robustness of these processes provides clear, indisputable outcomes, crucial for sensitive evaluations.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Serving Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, our nationwide testing facilities enable effortless and expedient drug testing services. Whether local or nationally spread, our centers promise swift and straightforward access, augmenting user convenience and minimizing logistical burdens for timely substance testing.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, we prioritize a simple and confidential testing process. From initiating a test order to sample submission and result acquisition, the method ensures participant privacy and user-friendliness. These aspects alleviate common concerns, making testing a seamless experience for all involved.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing and swift result delivery, our services in Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, showcase exceptional value. Regardless of company size, our policies provide cost-effective solutions and quick turnaround times, promoting peace of mind with transparent and accessible testing services.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, the precision and speed of hair follicle drug tests stand unmatched. These exams offer high accuracy in detecting substance abuse, setting them apart as the go-to choice for fast, reliable results. Their deployment ensures a comprehensive detection method, providing safety and reliability for all stakeholders involved.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Cedar Glen Lakes, NJ, gain peace of mind with hair follicle testing, promoting compliance with drug-free workplace protocols. Embracing this method diminishes legal exposure and fosters a safer work setting, solidifying organizational trust and security among teams and management alike.

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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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