Hair Follicle Drug Testing - East Vandergrift, PA

What it is, How it works

The examination of hair has emerged as a strong instrument for identifying drug and alcohol usage. By capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the expanding hair strand, hair can reveal a long-term history of substances. When gathered near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window of up to roughly 3 months for alcohol and other substances. The collection of hair is straightforward, relatively resistant to tampering, and simple to transport.

Acquiring a 1.5-inch segment of roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to the size of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg, ideal for testing and confirmation. For EtG, supplementary analyses, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advisable. Specimens should be weighed using a jeweler’s scale. Should scalp hair be inaccessible, a comparable quantity of body hair may be obtained. When we mention head hair, we mean only scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The key stages in the laboratory processing of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the sample's initial integration into a lab's system. This process checks that the sample was properly sealed and transported, allocates a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any remaining data input not provided by an electronic custody chain.

Screening is a preliminary swift analysis for substance misuse. While it efficiently excludes substance use in most cases, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for legal acceptability. Any samples with a presumptive positive in Screening require further validation.

If a sample tests presumptively positive during Screening, more hair is retrieved from the original sample and set for Extraction. During this phase, substances are withdrawn from hair at much lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or saliva), which explains why hair drug testing is the most complex method to execute.

Confirmation of any positive result from Screening is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples suspected positive undergo washing prior to final confirmation if necessary. The complete lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests identify drug use up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which detect over shorter timeframes.
• Resistance to deception: The difficulty in evading a hair drug test enhances result accuracy.
• Offers historical insight: It charts a pattern of substance use over time, beyond mere recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Unable to identify recent usage: It takes approximately 5-7 days for substances to become detectable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests are customarily pricier than alternative testing methods.
• Result variability: Influences such as hair color and individual hair growth rates can affect drug metabolite concentrations in hair.

Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the test analyzes the hair strand itself, not the follicle under the scalp

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Compared to traditional urine tests, hair follicle testing in East Vandergrift, PA, provides superior detection and reliability. Hair testing offers a longer detection period, capturing a more comprehensive history of drug use that is difficult to manipulate. This makes hair testing an excellent choice for ensuring accuracy in drug detection.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in East Vandergrift, PA, provides an extended detection window, allowing for substance use monitoring up to 90 days prior. This makes it an invaluable tool for employers aiming to understand an employee or applicant's substance use history, offering a thorough overview of long-term habits.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In East Vandergrift, PA, hair follicle drug testing offers a tamper-resistant method that significantly reduces the risk of sample adulteration. The integrity of the hair test provides reliable results, ensuring an unquestionable determination of drug use, which is crucial for accurate assessments.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With convenient testing centers nationwide, including East Vandergrift, PA, accredited drug testing is easily accessible, offering quick and hassle-free testing services. This widespread availability ensures that testing is never more than a short trip away, supporting ease of access for all.

Simple, Confidential Process

In East Vandergrift, PA, ordering and undergoing a hair follicle test is a simple and confidential process. Our procedure addresses privacy concerns and ensures that results are obtained and delivered discreetly, reassuring all parties of the confidentiality and ease inherent in the process.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Our competitive pricing structures and fast turnaround times in East Vandergrift, PA, offer excellent value for businesses of any size. With affordable options and swift result processing, we provide peace of mind and economic savings for employer drug testing requirements.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In East Vandergrift, PA, our hair follicle drug tests offer unmatched speed and accuracy, ensuring that results are both reliable and timely. These tests are designed to detect drug use with high precision, guaranteeing dependable outcomes for those who require them. With our efficient processes, you can be confident in receiving fast and accurate results.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in East Vandergrift, PA, benefit from using hair follicle testing as it ensures compliance with drug-free workplace policies, safeguarding the business from legal risks. This testing not only enhances safety standards but also provides peace of mind knowing all employees adhere to policy 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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