Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Atkinson Mills, PA

What it is, How it works

Utilizing hair testing is increasingly recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures and retains biomarkers within its structure, providing a long-term record of substance use. When hair is taken near the scalp, it offers an approximate 3-month timeline for detecting alcohol and drugs. This method is straightforward to collect, resistant to tampering, and convenient for shipping.

For optimal screening and verification, a 1.5-inch sample comprising around 200 hair strands (approximately the width of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp yields 100mg, which is ideal for analysis. For EtG, supplementary tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, a 150mg sample is advisable. It's beneficial to weigh the sample using a jeweler’s scale. Should scalp hair be inaccessible, an equivalent portion of body hair is acceptable. The term "head hair" specifically means scalp hair, while "body hair" encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The essential steps in the lab processing of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning involves integrating a sample into the laboratory’s system, ensuring proper sealing and shipping, assigning a randomized LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any outstanding data inputs not covered by an electronic chain of custody process.

Screening serves as a preliminary check for drug presence. Though cost-effective, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples testing presumptively positive in this stage require further confirmation.

Upon a positive indication in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. This stage involves isolating drugs from hair at concentrations significantly lower than those in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which underscores the complexity of hair drug screening.

Confirmatory analysis of positive screenings employs GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. All samples implying a positive result undergo a wash process before confirmation, if necessary. The full laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair tests can identify drug usage for up to 90 days, compared to the shorter timeframe of urine tests.
• Resilience against manipulation: The difficulty in cheating a hair test enhances its reliability.
• Tracks drug use history: It offers insight into drug usage trends over time rather than just recent activity.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect immediate usage: Detection of drugs in hair typically takes 5-7 days.
• Expense: Hair tests tend to be pricier than other drug testing options.
• Result variability: Drug metabolite levels in hair can fluctuate due to factors like hair color and individual hair growth rates.

Note: Although these are sometimes called "hair follicle tests," the analysis focuses on the hair strand, not the follicle itself under the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Atkinson Mills, PA, hair follicle testing emerges as a superior alternative to urine testing due to its comprehensive detection capability. Offering a detection window that urine tests cannot match, it guarantees better accuracy in identifying long-term substance use. Employers benefit from this multidimensional insight, making informed decisions supported by a reliable testing methodology that's hard to trick.

Extended Detection Window

Atkinson Mills, PA, employers can look further back into an individual's history with hair follicle testing. Capable of detecting drug use up to 90 days prior, it provides a thorough picture of one's substance history. This expansive window is invaluable for businesses keen to maintain a drug-free workplace, enabling informed hiring and monitoring decisions, thus helping to maintain workplace integrity and safety.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in Atkinson Mills, PA offers a substantial reduction in the opportunities for tampering, presenting highly reliable outcomes. Due to the nature of hair samples, it's nearly impossible to alter or adulterate the tested specimen. As a result, companies achieve assurance and confidence in the non-negotiable integrity of their testing results, ensuring fair and accurate assessments.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With Accredited Drug Testing's extensive network across Atkinson Mills, PA and nationwide, accessing hair follicle testing has never been easier. Our widespread locations minimize travel hassles, making the process efficient and user-friendly. Whether locally or across the country, this convenience guarantees quick and straightforward access to testing, streamlining the entire experience for all involved.

Simple, Confidential Process

The hair follicle testing process in Atkinson Mills, PA is designed to be both simple and confidential, addressing common concerns related to privacy. From order placement to receiving conclusive results, every step is streamlined for ease. Our system guarantees private handling of sensitive information, ensuring that users experience both transparency and security throughout the testing process.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing and swift turnaround times, hair follicle testing in Atkinson Mills, PA delivers excellent value for organizations of all sizes. Our cost-effective rates don't compromise on quality, making high-standard drug testing accessible. For companies seeking prompt and reliable results, our service stands as a testament to affordability paired with unmatched efficiency in the testing sector.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision of hair follicle drug tests ensures that individuals in Atkinson Mills, PA receive dependable and expeditious results. By accurately identifying substance use, this method guarantees a quick turnaround time. The high level of accuracy in these tests provides peace of mind, knowing the outcomes reflect true substance use, thus ensuring reliable conclusions for all involved parties.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Atkinson Mills, PA gain significant assurance from hair follicle testing's ability to reinforce drug-free workplace policies. By providing a testing mechanism aligned with legal and safety standards, companies reduce potential liabilities. This proactive approach not only sustains a compliant environment but also enhances overall workplace safety and productivity, offering peace of mind to business operators.

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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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