Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Derry, PA

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis has emerged as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a lengthy record of substance use by embedding biomarkers within the strands as they grow. When clipped near the scalp, hair can offer a detection period of up to roughly 3 months for substances. Hair sampling is straightforward, relatively hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.

A 1.5-inch section, containing around 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil thickness) nearest to the scalp, provides 100mg of hair, ideal for tests and verifications. For EtG, additional screenings, and/or over 10-panel tests, 150mg of the sample is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale for measurement is recommended. If scalp hair cannot be accessed, an equivalent quantity of body hair is an alternative. When addressing head hair, we reference scalp hair solely. Body hair encompasses all other hair categories (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory testing process incorporates four key steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is the primary step of logging a sample into the lab's system, ensuring it was sealed and sent correctly, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any extra data input missing from an electronic chain of custody.

Screening involves an initial scan for substance misuse. While it is a cost-efficient approach to dismiss drug presence in the vast majority of cases, a positive outcome demands confirmation to be legally valid. Samples with preliminary positive results from Screening require additional confirmation.

Should a sample show presumptive positive in Screening, extra hair is drawn from the original sample for Extraction. At this phase, drugs are isolated from hair at significantly lower concentrations than in other approaches (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug tests notably challenging to administer.

Confirmation for any preliminary positive results is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples undergo washing prior to confirmation as required. The complete lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is meticulously reviewed under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair criteria and aligned with ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair tests reveal drug use up to 90 days back, contrasting with urine tests that have a shorter timeframe.
• Cheat-resistant: Hair tests are hard to manipulate, enhancing result reliability.
• Offers past usage insight: It chronicles drug use patterns over time, rather than just recent usage.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting immediate use: Drugs in hair become identifiable after roughly 5-7 days.
• Expense: Hair tests generally incur higher costs than other testing techniques.
• Result variability: Aspects like hair color and individual growth variations can alter metabolite concentration in hair.

Note: Even though it's often called a "hair follicle test", it examines the hair strand instead of the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in Derry, PA, surpasses traditional urine tests by offering superior detection accuracy and reliability. Unlike urine tests, hair samples provide a more comprehensive drug use history.

With the capability to detect drugs long after ingestion, hair testing is an invaluable tool for those enforcing zero-tolerance drug policies, offering peace of mind against false negatives.

Extended Detection Window

With a detection window extending up to 90 days, hair follicle testing in Derry, PA, provides a thorough overview of an individual’s drug use history. This longer window surpasses that of urine tests, which only detect recent use.

For employers looking for an in-depth understanding of potential hires or monitoring current employees, this comprehensive view ensures a safer workplace environment.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle tests in Derry, PA, significantly minimize the risk of sample tampering, offering definitive and dependable results.

The tests are challenging to adulterate, ensuring that the results remain trustworthy and unchanged from the time of collection through analysis.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With convenient nationwide testing centers, residents of Derry, PA, are guaranteed easy access to drug testing services. Whether local or national, our facilities provide seamless, fast testing options.

This wide network ensures that testing is accessible and efficient, reducing hassle for individuals and organizations alike.

Simple, Confidential Process

The hair follicle testing process in Derry, PA, is both simple and confidential. From the ordering stage to the receipt of results, every step emphasizes privacy and ease of use.

This streamlined process ensures minimal inconvenience while maintaining a high level of confidentiality for all parties involved.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

In Derry, PA, hair follicle testing provides competitive pricing and rapid turnaround, ensuring excellent value for businesses of any scale.

This affordability, coupled with swift result delivery, offers companies the confidence and reassurance needed to maintain drug-free policies efficiently.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle drug testing in Derry, PA, offers swift and accurate outcomes. Renowned for their precision, these tests excel in identifying substance use with outstanding accuracy.

The swift delivery of results further enhances their reliability, ensuring that individuals and organizations receive timely, precise information about drug use.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Derry, PA, find peace of mind with hair follicle testing, ensuring alignment with drug-free workplace policies and minimizing legal risks.

This method of testing not only enhances workplace safety but also provides assurance against potential litigations associated with drug policy non-compliance.

Drug Testing Near Derry, PA

Elizabethtown, PA

Paxtonia, PA

Lawnton, PA

Annville, PA

Royalton, PA

Middletown, PA

Rutherford, PA

Skyline View, PA

Palmyra, PA

Hummelstown, PA

Campbelltown, PA

Union Deposit, PA

Palmdale, PA

Hershey, PA

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Customer Reviews