Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Como, NC

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis is now recognized as a potent method for detecting substances like drugs and alcohol. With the ability to preserve a historical record of substances by embedding biomarkers in the hair fibers, hair provides an extensive timeline of use. When gathered near the scalp, hair offers a detection period stretching to about three months for both alcohol and drugs. The collection process is straightforward, though tampering is challenging, and it is convenient for transport.

Securing a 1.5-inch section of around 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil thickness) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is ideal for evaluation and verification. For EtG, additional assessments, or tests exceeding 10 panels, it is advised to use 150mg of the sample. It's advisable to weigh the sample using a jeweler's scale. If head hair is inaccessible, a similar amount of body hair may be substituted. When discussing head hair, we mean solely scalp hair, whereas body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory handling of drug test outcomes consists of four major phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is the preliminary phase where the sample is integrated into the laboratory system. This step involves confirming the sample was appropriately sealed and sent, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any supplementary data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody mechanism.

Screening provides an initial inspection for illicit substances. Although it is a cost-efficient procedure to eliminate drug presence in most samples, any positive screening must be verified for legal acceptance. Samples showing presumptive positives during Screening necessitate additional confirmation.

When a sample is assumed positive at the Screening phase, more hair is drawn from the primary specimen for the Extraction process. Here, substances are extracted from hair at notably lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), thus, hair drug screening is the most intricate method to conduct.

Confirmation of any positive screen is carried out utilizing GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples undergo a cleansing prior to confirmation as needed. The complete laboratory procedure, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is overseen following both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extensive detection period: Hair drug testing can identify drug presence for up to 90 days, whereas urine tests have a shorter detectable span.
• Cheating is arduous: Manipulating a hair drug test is notably hard, thus ensuring more reliable outcomes.
• Historical insight: Provides a timeline of substance intake over an extended period, beyond recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Incapable of identifying recent intake: Takes roughly 5-7 days for drugs to be identifiable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests generally cost more than alternative drug testing approaches.
• Result variations: Variabilities such as hair hue and individual hair growth rates can influence drug metabolite levels in hair.

Note: Although sometimes called "hair follicle tests", the procedure examines the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

When comparing testing methods in Como, NC, hair follicle testing outshines urine tests with superior accuracy and reliability. Its longer detection period ensures a comprehensive understanding of substance history.

The benefits of hair testing over traditional methods in Como, NC highlight superior detection accuracy and reliability, making it a preferred choice over urine testing.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Como, NC offers an extended detection window, capturing drug use history up to 90 days. This gives employers a thorough view of an individual's substance background.

In Como, NC, hair follicle testing's prolonged detection period provides a comprehensive understanding of a person's drug use, proving beneficial over the conventional 30-day detection span of urine tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Como, NC are designed to reduce the risk of sample tampering, providing dependable and unquestionable outcomes for drug screening processes.

Como, NC boasts hair follicle testing as a tamper-resistant method, which significantly diminishes the chances of sample alteration, ensuring the accuracy and legitimacy of results.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accredited Drug Testing ensures convenient access to drug testing services in Como, NC, with numerous national locations for seamless service.

Our nationwide centers, including locations in Como, NC, offer easy and hassle-free access to testing, ensuring convenience for individuals and employers alike.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Como, NC, the hair follicle testing process is simple and confidential, ensuring ease at every step and maintaining client privacy throughout the procedure.

Our straightforward, discreet process in Como, NC addresses privacy concerns, offering easy ordering and result retrieval for drug testing.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Accredited Drug Testing in Como, NC provides competitive pricing and fast turnaround time, offering exceptional value for companies seeking drug testing solutions.

With affordable pricing and rapid result delivery, our services in Como, NC provide excellent value, ensuring quick and cost-effective solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The hair follicle drug test offers unmatched precision and speed in Como, NC, delivering fast, accurate results. Its high accuracy provides peace of mind by effectively detecting substance use.

In Como, NC, hair follicle testing ensures reliable results with quick turnaround times, pinpointing substance use with high precision, making it the preferred choice for accurate drug testing.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

In Como, NC, hair follicle testing aligns with drug-free workplace policies, minimizing legal risks and enhancing safety, thus providing employers peace of mind.

Using hair follicle testing in Como, NC ensures compliance with workplace regulations, benefits workplace safety, and reduces legal risks, offering employers substantial 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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