Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Croft, PA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as a potent means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers an extended timeline of alcohol and drug use by encasing biomarkers within the fibers of the expanding hair shaft. When gathered near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window for alcohol and drugs lasting up to three months. Hair collection is straightforward, moderately hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.

A segment of hair measuring 1.5 inches comprising about 200 strands (approximately the width of a #2 pencil) located nearest the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal sample size for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additions, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advisable. We suggest utilizing a jeweler’s scale to measure the specimen’s weight. Should scalp hair not be available, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be used. When discussing head hair, we specifically mean scalp hair. Body hair includes all other hair types (e.g., facial, axillary).

Process Overview

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

Accessioning entails the preliminary processing of a sample into the lab’s system. This step includes ensuring that the sample was correctly sealed and sent, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and fulfilling any extra data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening includes an initial fast assessment for drugs of abuse. Screening offers a cost-efficient way to dismiss drug use in most samples, yet a positive screen requires confirmation to be court-admissible. Any samples showing presumptive positives during Screening necessitate secondary confirmation.

Should a sample display a presumptive positive during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the primary specimen and prepared for Extraction. Here, drugs are isolated from hair at significantly lower concentrations than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening among the most challenging methodologies to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screening result is conducted via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing prior to confirmation as necessary. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning through Confirmation is scrutinized in accordance with both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection window: Hair drug tests can identify drug use spanning up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which offer a shorter detection timeframe.
• Hard to deceive: Cheating a hair drug test is notably challenging, making the results more precise.
• Delivers historical insights: It can provide a timeline of drug usage across a period, not only recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: Drugs take approximately 5-7 days to become detectable within hair.
• Expense: Hair drug screenings are generally pricier compared to other drug testing techniques.
• Variability in results: Elements such as hair color and personal differences in hair growth can impact the concentration of drug metabolites in the hair.

Note: Although often referenced as “hair follicle tests,” the analysis is of the hair strand itself, not the subsurface hair follicle.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Croft, PA, hair follicle testing offers superior advantages over traditional urine tests. Notably, hair tests in Croft showcase enhanced detection accuracy, capturing a broader substance usage window than urine tests.

Compared to urine analysis, the hair follicle approach in Croft, PA, demonstrates superior reliability. Hair tests minimize error chances, ensuring more dependable results for assessing an individual's substance use.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Croft, PA benefit from the extended detection window hair tests provide. These tests capture drug use over a span of up to 90 days, offering a thorough view of substance histories.

By analyzing hair samples, Croft, PA employers gain insights into an applicant's or employee's long-term drug use, surpassing traditional methods such as urine tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests drastically reduce the possibility of sample tampering in Croft, PA. This approach ensures the provision of definitive and credible results.

In Croft, PA, the hair follicle method eliminates concerns over sample alterations. This testing mode grants unmatched assurance of authenticity, delivering reliant results.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

In Croft, PA, our extensive network of testing locations affords seamless accessibility to drug testing services, offering both convenience and efficiency.

Our far-reaching presence, including local options in Croft, PA, guarantees an effortless, stress-free process for those seeking drug testing solutions.

Simple, Confidential Process

Within Croft, PA, the hair testing process is straightforward, upholding privacy at every stage, from order to result retrieval.

Clients in Croft, PA find the testing procedure easy and confidential, ensuring privacy while meeting testing needs effortlessly.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Croft, PA, our pricing is competitive while delivering fast turnaround times. This model ensures cost-efficiency for organizations regardless of size.

Our Croft-based services promise affordability paired with rapid results, providing businesses with significant value and assurance.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Croft, PA, hair follicle testing boasts unparalleled speed and precision. This method ensures not only swift but also highly accurate detection of substance use, providing reliable outcomes.

Those in Croft, PA can be assured of hair tests' reliability due to their precise, comprehensive evaluation. This method adeptly identifies even minute traces of substances, maintaining exceptional accuracy.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Croft, PA gain reassurance with hair follicle testing aligning with drug-free policies, mitigating legal risks while bolstering workplace safety.

Through hair follicle testing, Croft employers ensure compliance with mandated policies, achieving peace of mind and safeguarding their operations against potential liabilities.

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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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