Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Okemah, OK

What it is, How it works

Recognized as an effective means, hair testing is utilized for identifying drug and alcohol usage. It offers a long-term record of such substances by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the developing hair shaft. When harvested near the scalp, hair can deliver a detection window spanning up to roughly three months for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is uncomplicated, fairly resistant to tampering, and straightforward to transport.

By obtaining a 1.5-inch section comprising around 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp, 100mg of hair is acquired, which is the optimal quantity for both screening and confirmation. In cases involving EtG, additional components, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a quantity of 150mg specimen is advised. It is suggested to measure the specimen using a jeweler’s scale. Should scalp hair be unobtainable, a similar volume of body hair may be used. When mentioning head hair, we specifically mean scalp hair. The term body hair includes all other hair types (e.g., facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The essential four stages in the laboratory handling of a drug test result encompass Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning comprises the preliminary handling of a sample into the lab’s system. This step involves ensuring the proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any extra data input absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening encompasses a swift preliminary examination for substance misuse. Although Screening is an economical method to negate drug usage in most samples, a positive screen must undergo confirmation to be legally acceptable. Samples that indicate a positive tendency in Screening necessitate an additional confirmation.

Upon indicating a presumptive positive in the Screening phase, further hair is extracted from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. This phase involves extracting drugs from hair at concentrations significantly lower than other approaches (e.g., urine or oral fluid), thus making hair drug screening the most challenging to perform.

To confirm any positive screening outcomes, methods such as GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS are employed. Prior to confirmation, all presumptive positive specimens are cleansed as required. The entire lab process, from Accessioning through to Confirmation, undergoes scrutiny under CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Prolonged detection duration: Hair drug testing identifies drug use for up to 90 days, unlike urine testing which offers a reduced detection period.
• Alteration resistance: The difficulty in manipulating a hair drug test contributes to more precise results.
• Records historical usage: It reveals a pattern of substance use over an extended period, rather than just recent use.

Limitations:

• Incapability in detecting recent use: Drugs take around 5-7 days to be traceable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug testing tends to be pricier than other testing techniques.
• Outcome variability: Variables such as hair pigmentation and personal hair growth differences can influence the drug metabolite levels in hair.

Note: Often known as "hair follicle tests", the actual test evaluates the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing is favored over urine testing for its unmatched detection capabilities in Okemah, OK. Unlike urine tests which cover a limited timeframe, hair testing offers a more thorough analysis of an individual's substance history.

The ability to detect drug use up to 90 days back provides significant advantages. This makes it a superior choice, ensuring that companies enforce drug-free environments with high reliability and less room for errors.

Extended Detection Window

One of the standout elements of hair follicle testing in Okemah is the extended detection window available, which can trace substance use for as long as 90 days back.

This window offers employers insights into not just recent but extended substance histories, ensuring they have a complete picture of an employee's potential drug use. It equips decision-makers with valuable information to maintain safe work environments.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Okemah, OK provides a highly reliable way to reduce sample tampering. The procedure is challenging to manipulate compared to urine tests, resulting in more consistent and trustworthy outcomes.

This testing ensures integrity in the results, safeguarding against attempts to alter or fake the specimen. It's the go-to for those prioritizing integrity and accuracy in drug testing protocols.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

In Okemah, OK and beyond, Accredited Drug Testing simplifies access to testing facilities, with centers strategically placed across the country, including local sites.

Our broad network ensures clients can easily locate a convenient testing location, enhancing efficiency and minimizing disruption. With numerous centers, testing services become a streamlined process, easing the stress of compliance for clients.

Simple, Confidential Process

With Accredited Drug Testing operating in Okemah, the testing process, from ordering to result collection, is crafted for simplicity and confidentiality. Our approach safeguards privacy while delivering efficiency.

By ensuring that every interaction stays discreet and straightforward, concerns about privacy are alleviated. This allows individuals and companies to approach testing with assurance and ease, knowing their confidentiality is preserved.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

For businesses in Okemah, affordability meets quality with our pricing options, ensuring cost-effective testing services. With quick result turnaround times, we align efficiency with value.

Our competitive pricing structure, combined with fast delivery of results, offers companies an edge in maintaining drug-free policies without straining budgets. This bestows financial and operational confidence to businesses of any size.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Okemah residents benefit from the precision of hair follicle testing, as this method swiftly delivers highly accurate results. By detecting a range of substances more effectively than standard practices, it aids in identifying actual substance use.

Compared to conventional methods, the rapid analysis points to reliability in reporting, allowing for prompt decision-making. This speed and accuracy streamline processes, making it excellent for workplace settings.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

For Okemah's employers, utilizing hair follicle testing ensures alignment with drug-free workplace policies, delivering peace of mind. This compliant approach minimizes potential legal issues and focuses on maintaining a secure work environment.

Establishing a clear anti-drug stance, this method supports the safety regulations employers strive to uphold, offering both compliance and reassurance in maintaining a substance-free 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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