Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Mulino, OR

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers a prolonged record of alcohol and drug use by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the expanding hair strand. When gathered near the scalp, hair can provide a detection timeframe for alcohol and drugs of up to around three months. Hair is straightforward to collect, somewhat challenging to tamper with, and simple to transport.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches, consisting of approximately 200 hair strands (roughly the size of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp, will yield 100mg of hair, the perfect amount for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additions, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advised. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. If scalp hair is not available, a comparable amount of body hair can be gathered. By head hair, we mean scalp hair only. Body hair includes all other varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The primary four phases involved in the laboratory processing of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the initial incorporation of a sample into a laboratory's system. This process includes verifying the sample's proper sealing and shipping, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any extra data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening constitutes an initial rapid assessment for drug misuse. While Screening is a cost-efficient manner to rule out drug use in most samples, a positive screen mandates confirmation for court acceptance. Any samples with presumptive positivity in Screening undergo secondary confirmation.

Should a sample display presumptive positivity at the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen and readied for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are withdrawn from hair at significantly lower concentrations than in other procedures (e.g., urine or oral fluid), rendering hair drug screening the most complex method to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is executed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation if required. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is examined under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and in accordance with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug usage for up to 90 days, in contrast to urine tests, which have a more limited detection duration.
• Hard to deceive: Hair drug testing poses significant challenges to cheating, enhancing result accuracy.
• Offers historical insights: It provides a chronology of drug use over a time span, rather than solely detecting recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent use: Drugs become detectable in hair in about 5-7 days.
• Expense: Hair drug tests generally involve higher costs than other drug testing techniques.
• Outcome variations: Variables like hair color and personal hair growth variations can impact the drug metabolite concentration within the hair.

Note: Despite frequently being termed as "hair follicle tests", the analysis focuses on the hair strand itself, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Mulino, OR, hair follicle testing provides a clear edge over urine testing, delivering superior accuracy and reliability. While traditional urine tests only detect recent drug use, hair tests offer a broader detection window, providing a comprehensive substance use history and making them harder to compromise.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Mulino, OR, offers a significantly extended detection window, capturing drug use history for up to 90 days. This comprehensive view aids employers in evaluating an applicant or employee's long-term substance use, providing a clearer picture than short-term detection methods.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In Mulino, OR, hair follicle testing stands out for its tamper-resistant nature. This testing method minimizes the risk of sample adulteration, ensuring that results remain reliable and unquestionable, giving employers confidence in the accuracy of the test outcomes.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Mulino, OR residents have convenient access to testing facilities nationwide, including local centers. This widespread availability simplifies the testing process, enabling quick, easy, and hassle-free service, no matter where you are, providing unparalleled convenience.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Mulino, OR, the hair follicle test is not only effective but also straightforward and confidential. The entire process, from ordering to obtaining results, is designed to uphold privacy and simplicity, addressing any concerns about confidentiality and ease of access.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Mulino, OR, offers hair follicle testing with competitive pricing and fast turnaround times, delivering excellent value to businesses of all sizes. This affordability combined with quick processing reinforces peace of mind, making it a practical option for any company.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Mulino, OR, hair follicle drug tests are unparalleled in their speed and precision. These tests offer highly accurate detection of substance use, ensuring employers receive reliable results quickly. With advanced technology, you can expect a speedy turnaround, providing peace of mind and maintaining workplace efficiency.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Mulino, OR, benefit from hair follicle testing through maintained compliance with drug-free workplace policies. Such testing reduces legal liabilities and fosters a safer working environment, ensuring peace of mind and adherence to regulatory standards.

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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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