Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Sandia Knolls, NM

What it is, How it works

Hair tests are now recognized as an effective means to identify drug and alcohol usage. Hair offers an extensive timeline of alcohol and other drug consumption by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the growing hair strand. When hair is sourced close to the scalp, it can yield almost a 3-month period for detecting alcohol and other substances. Hair collection is straightforward, relatively tamper-resistant, and convenient for shipping.

A 1.5-inch sample consisting of roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil’s thickness) nearest to the scalp produces 100mg of hair, which is the recommended amount for analysis and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, a 150mg sample is advised. Utilizing a jeweler's scale to weigh the sample is suggested. If scalp hair is inaccessible, an equivalent volume of body hair may be utilized. In this context, head hair denotes only scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types of hair (facial, underarm, etc.).

Process Overview

The primary steps in a lab’s drug testing process are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning involves the initial intake of a sample into a laboratory system. This stage includes ensuring the sample was properly sealed and sent, generating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and filling in any missing details not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening entails a preliminary rapid check for drug misuse. Although Screening is an economical approach to eliminating drug use in most samples, a positive screen must be validated to be usable in legal settings. Samples that give a presumptive positive in Screening require a further confirmation.

If a screen indicates a presumptive positive, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at a significantly lower concentration than other modalities (such as urine or oral fluid), which is why hair drug testing is the most challenging technique to execute.

Any confirmed positive screen result undergoes confirmation using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples are cleansed before confirmation where necessary. The complete lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is audited under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair specification and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug use for as much as 90 days, unlike urine tests which cover a narrower detection span.
• Hard to manipulate: It's particularly challenging to alter a hair drug test, thus enhancing accuracy.
• Yields historical patterns: It can illustrate a sequence of drug use over time, not merely recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of identifying recent usage: It takes approximately 5-7 days for drugs to surface in hair.
• Expenses: Hair drug tests are usually pricier than other testing methods.
• Result variability: Elements such as hair color and individual hair growth rates may impact the drug metabolite levels in the hair.

Note: While frequently named "hair follicle tests", the test itself examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

When comparing hair follicle testing with traditional urine testing in Sandia Knolls, NM, one immediately notices the superiority of hair testing in terms of detection precision and consistency. Hair tests capture a broader history of substance use, offering enhanced insights into individual habits.

Employers, legal entities, and substance abuse professionals increasingly pivot to hair testing for its robust detection capabilities. The protracted detection timeframe of hair tests, paired with their difficulty to compromise, appeals to organizations dedicated to maintaining strict drug-free policies.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing offers an extended detection window in Sandia Knolls, NM, allowing employers to gauge a more comprehensive scope of an individual's substance use history. By tracing drug usage as far back as 90 days, hair tests grant unparalleled insights into applicant or worker conduct.

This expanded detection period aids in forming a complete picture of substance use over extended durations, which can be crucial for informed decision-making in hiring and workplace management.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Employing a tamper-resistant methodology, hair follicle testing in Sandia Knolls, NM, drastically decreases the chances of sample distortion, promising results that are both trustworthy and definitive. This formidable resilience against manipulation makes hair testing a preferred choice for entities prioritizing unassailable outcomes.

The nature of hair testing minimizes opportunities for interference, providing established reliability and assurance that the results will not be compromised through external means.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Inhabitants of Sandia Knolls, NM, benefit from the convenience of Accredited Drug Testing’s test centers situated nationwide. These facilities ensure swift, uncomplicated, and trouble-free access to testing services, no matter where you are.

The widespread presence of these centers simplifies the testing journey, delivering heightened access, prompt service, and ease to individuals and organizations alike in Sandia Knolls, NM.

Simple, Confidential Process

Residents in Sandia Knolls, NM, find the procedure of ordering, undertaking, and acquiring results from hair follicle testing to be notably simple and discreet. These processes address privacy apprehensions and assure ease of access and user-friendliness.

The straightforwardness of the process ensures an efficient testing cycle, relieving concerns about privacy breaches while maintaining user confidence from test initiation to result acquisition.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Businesses in Sandia Knolls, NM, are attracted by the affordable pricing and speedy result delivery provided by Accredited Drug Testing. Their competitive cost strategies and swift processing times offer remarkable value, facilitating quick decision-making and increased peace of mind for businesses across various scales.

The balance of cost-effectiveness and efficiency makes hair testing an appealing option for businesses seeking practical and value-driven testing solutions.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Sandia Knolls, NM, hair follicle drug tests are renowned for their rapid, precise, and dependable outcomes. These tests offer high accuracy in detecting substance use, staying steps ahead of common testing alternatives. With the ability to pinpoint drug use with great exactness, stakeholders are offered assurance throughout the testing process.

The accuracy of hair follicle testing is unmatched, providing quick results that are both reliable and clear-cut. The method's precision aids in minimizing error, and giving employers in Sandia Knolls, NM, a dependable tool for their drug-testing needs.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Hair follicle testing in Sandia Knolls, NM, fortifies compliance with drug-free workplace mandates, mitigating legal perils and raising workplace safety levels. Implementing stringent testing approaches guarantees that workers uphold company policies, delivering peace of mind to employers regarding workforce integrity.

The commitment to reliable testing enhances process transparency, reducing employer concerns while ensuring policy adherence and a safe working environment.

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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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