Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Lisbon, NM

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is recognized as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair provides an extended timeline of alcohol and drug usage by holding biomarkers within the strands of hair as they grow. When hair is taken near the scalp, it can show a detection span of up to roughly 3 months for alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to gather, challenging to tamper with, and simple to send.

A 1.5-inch sample, consisting of approximately 200 hair strands (akin to the size of a #2 pencil), when closest to the scalp, yields 100mg of hair, which is ideal for screening and validation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or assessments beyond 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advocated. It's advised to weigh the sample using a jeweler’s scale. In instances where scalp hair is not accessible, a similar quantity of body hair can be gathered. By head hair, we mean exclusively scalp hair. Body hair covers all other types of hair (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The principal stages in lab processing of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the initial processing of a specimen into a lab's framework. This involves ensuring the sample was correctly sealed and delivered, assigning a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and fulfilling any leftover data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening includes an initial swift assessment for drug use. While Screening offers a cost-effective means to dismiss drug presence in most specimens, a positive screening must undergo confirmation for legal admissibility. Any specimens posing a presumptive positive in Screening necessitate a follow-up confirmation.

If a specimen shows a presumptive positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original sample and prepped for Extraction. Here, drugs are drawn from hair at a significantly lower concentration compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), highlighting why hair drug screening is the most challenging method to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is done via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are cleaned before confirmation when required. The complete lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is audited under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Long detection period: Hair drug tests can identify drug usage for as long as 90 days, whereas urine tests have a shorter detection period.
• Hard to manipulate: It's challenging to deceive a hair drug test, increasing result accuracy.
• Supplies historical information: It gives a pattern of drug utilization over time, not just recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent use: It takes 5-7 days for drugs to be traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug assessments are typically costlier than other drug testing methods.
• Result discrepancies: Factors such as hair color and individual hair growth variations can impact the concentration of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Although often termed "hair follicle tests", the actual test examines the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Lisbon, NM, hair follicle testing rises above traditional urine tests due to its superior detection accuracy. While urine tests focus on recent drug use, hair tests delve deeper, identifying patterns over a longer time span. Their reliability in producing accurate results makes them a preferred choice by many organizations.

The extended detection window of hair tests provides a more comprehensive picture, crucial for employers with stringent drug-free workplace policies. This makes hair testing an effective alternative against traditional methods.

Extended Detection Window

The hair follicle testing available in Lisbon, NM, offers an extended detection window reaching up to 90 days. This allows employers to gain a broad understanding of a candidate or employee's substance use history, aiding in informed hiring and retention decisions.

By covering such an extended time frame, hair follicle tests provide comprehensive insights that traditional methods, like urine testing, cannot match. This ensures a detailed overview of an individual's drug-use patterns.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Lisbon, NM, decrease the probability of sample tampering significantly. The testing method is designed to secure the integrity of the sample, thus providing trustworthy results devoid of manipulation.

This tamper-resistant feature ensures that the results are reliable and credible, offering peace of mind to both employers and individuals subjected to the test. The method's robustness makes it an essential tool in drug testing.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Our testing facilities in Lisbon, NM, are part of a broader network of nationwide locations, offering easy and seamless access to testing services. The expansive reach ensures that wherever you are, quality testing remains within your grasp.

This convenient setup allows for hassle-free experience, ensuring that getting a hair follicle drug test conducted is quick and straightforward, benefiting both individuals and organizations alike.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Lisbon, NM, the process of ordering, completing, and receiving results from hair follicle tests is straightforward and confidential. This addresses concerns about privacy and the ease of use, ensuring a stress-free experience.

The simplicity embedded within these processes ensures that users can safely and privately access necessary information without complications, facilitating a patient-oriented approach.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Lisbon, NM, our hair follicle testing services boast competitive pricing and swift turnaround times, providing excellent value for companies of all sizes. This affordability ensures that comprehensive testing is accessible to a broader range of employers.

The quick processing of testing results offers peace of mind, supporting businesses in adhering to their drug-free policies effectively and without delays.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Precision and speed define the hair follicle drug tests offered in Lisbon, NM. These tests stand out with their remarkable accuracy in identifying substance use. Their efficiency ensures that results are both rapid and reliable, supporting quick decision-making.

The high accuracy of hair testing provides a robust detection of substances, offering detailed insights into an individual's recent and past drug use. This makes it an invaluable tool for employers and authorities needing dependable results.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Lisbon, NM, benefit from hair follicle testing as it guarantees adherence to drug-free workplace policies. This method minimizes legal risks and augments workplace safety by ensuring reliable detection of substance use over a significant period.

The appearance of certainty and compliance these tests bring streamlines the employer's operations in maintaining a safe, drug-free work environment. Their reliability reduces the likelihood of drug-related incidents in the workplace.

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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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