Hair Follicle Drug Testing - East Side, PA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as an effective means for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair strands capture biomarkers in the fibers, offering a comprehensive history of usage over time. When collected near the scalp, hair testing can indicate alcohol and drug use for up to roughly three months. The sample collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to ship.

A 1.5-inch hair sample, consisting of around 200 strands (roughly the girth of a #2 pencil) near the scalp, yields 100mg—the preferred amount for screening and verification. For EtG, additional analyses, and/or over 10-panel tests, a 150mg specimen is suggested. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale to weigh the specimen is advisable. If scalp hair isn't available, a comparable amount of body hair can be collected. By head hair, we mean only scalp hair, while body hair encompasses all other types (e.g., facial, axillary).

Process Overview

Four critical steps encompass the laboratory processing for a drug test result: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the initial integration of a specimen into a lab’s system. This incorporates verifying the sample's proper sealing and shipping, assigning it a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any additional data entry not handled by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening executes a rapid preliminary check for drug abuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient method to discount drug use in most samples, court-admissibility demands a positive screen to be verified. Any samples showing presumptive positive results in Screening require subsequent confirmation.

If a sample exhibits presumptive positivity during the Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample for preparation for Extraction. At this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), underscoring the complexity of hair drug screening.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcomes is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples presumptive positive undergo required washing prior to confirmation. From Accessioning through Confirmation, the complete lab process adheres to both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug testing can reveal drug use up to 90 days, unlike urine tests that have a limited detection span.
• Increased difficulty to manipulate: Cheating a hair drug test is quite challenging, enhancing result accuracy.
• Historical data provision: It displays a pattern of drug use over an extended timeline, not just recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent use: Drugs become detectable in hair around 5-7 days post-consumption.
• Expense: Hair drug tests typically entail higher costs compared to other testing methods.
• Result variability: Factors like hair color and individual hair growth differences can influence drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: While termed as "hair follicle tests," the focus is on the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Hair follicle testing in East Side, PA, outshines traditional urine tests mainly due to its superior detection accuracy and reliability. Testing hair follicles offers a broader detection window and resistance to tampering, providing a dependable assessment of substance usage.

Extended Detection Window

Offering detection of drug use over a period as long as 90 days, hair follicle testing in East Side, PA, provides employers with an extensive view of an individual's past substance use, aiding in making informed decisions during hiring or employee evaluations.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Hair follicle testing in East Side, PA, significantly minimizes the risk of sample tampering, ensuring results remain reliable and indisputable. This tamper-resistant nature elevates it above other forms of drug testing methods.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Convenience is key with our widespread testing centers across the nation, including East Side, PA, ensuring straightforward and accessible testing services for all clients, eliminating logistics challenges.

Simple, Confidential Process

In East Side, PA, the process of hair follicle testing is simple and discreet, from ordering to collection and receiving results, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring an effortless experience.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Our competitive pricing structures in East Side, PA, paired with quick turnaround times, offer outstanding value for companies of all sizes, while ensuring swift results and reducing time wastage.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

The precision and speed of hair follicle drug tests in East Side, PA, are unparalleled. These tests not only deliver fast results but also maintain high accuracy levels in identifying substance use, making them a dependable choice for drug testing needs.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

For employers in East Side, PA, utilizing hair follicle testing ensures adherence to workplace drug policies while mitigating legal risks and fostering a safer work environment, thus providing peace of mind.

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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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