Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Shirleysburg, PA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair acts as a repository for alcohol and drug biomarkers, which are trapped in the strands as they grow. When taken near the scalp, hair offers a detection period of up to roughly three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient for transport.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches, consisting of approximately 200 strands (comparable to the thickness of a #2 pencil) taken from the scalp, yields 100mg of hair, which is ideal for tests and confirmations. For EtG, additional tests, and those beyond 10 panels, a sample of 150mg is suggested. It's advisable to weigh the hair on a jeweler’s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, a similar quantity of body hair can be used. By "head hair," we specifically mean scalp hair. "Body hair" encompasses all other hair forms (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory drug testing procedure encompasses four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the initial integration of a sample into the lab's system. This process includes ensuring the sample's proper sealing and shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and addressing any missing input not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves a preliminary check for drugs. While it effectively excludes drug use in most cases, any positive result at this stage necessitates validation to be legally accepted. Any initially positive samples require further confirmation.

If a sample is initially positive during Screening, additional hair is retrieved from the original sample for the Extraction phase. Here, drug compounds are isolated from hair with greater sensitivity than other methods (like urine or oral fluids), making hair drug testing particularly complex.

Confirmation for any positive result is done using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All initially positive samples are cleaned as necessary before confirmation. The comprehensive lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation adheres to both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair standards and the accreditation of ISO / IEC 17025.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair tests can reveal drug use over as long as 90 days, whereas urine tests detect much shorter periods.
• Hard to manipulate: Hair drug testing is difficult to cheat, ensuring more precise outcomes.
• Shows usage patterns: It can illustrate trends in drug use over time, not just recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Delayed detection of recent use: Drugs become detectable in hair after about 5-7 days.
• Cost: Hair tests generally incur higher expenses compared to other drug testing techniques.
• Result variability: Hair color and personal hair growth differences can influence drug metabolite levels in hair.

Note: Despite being commonly called "hair follicle tests", the actual analysis is conducted on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Shirleysburg, PA, hair follicle testing is proving superior to traditional urine analysis. While urine tests cover recent consumption, hair testing provides a broader detection timeline, enhancing accuracy and reliability in identifying substance use.

Employers in Shirleysburg are increasingly choosing hair follicle tests over urine due to their extensive detection capability and near-impossibility of tampering, ensuring confidence in the results provided for workplace safety and compliance.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Shirleysburg, PA, are discovering the benefits of hair follicle testing—providing a detection window as far as 90 days. This extended timeline offers a comprehensive view into an individual's drug use history.

With a wider detection period, hair testing supplies employers in Shirleysburg with a complete overview of an applicant or employee's potential substance use, aiding in building better-informed decisions regarding workforce management.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

The robust nature of hair follicle testing in Shirleysburg, PA, significantly decreases the risk of sample tampering. Unlike other testing methods, hair analysis ensures results are genuine and reliable, free from adulteration attempts.

For those in Shirleysburg looking for unquestionable testing outcomes, hair follicle tests deliver. This method minimizes opportunities for cheating or tampering, allowing employers to rest easy with the reliability of the sample results.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accredited Drug Testing conveniently offers both nationwide and local testing locations in Shirleysburg, PA. This accessibility simplifies the testing process, ensuring swift, stress-free engagements for everyone involved.

With comprehensive coverage, individuals and businesses in Shirleysburg benefit from quick access to reliable testing services, effectively addressing any drug-related concerns at hand efficiently and without hassle.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Shirleysburg, PA, the process for hair follicle testing remains straightforward and confidential. From order placement to results reception, each stage ensures privacy and simplicity.

Ensuring participant comfort, the streamlined procedure includes momentous confidentiality, highlighting efficient yet private approaches to drug testing—all without compromising on accuracy or ease.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing, Accredited Drug Testing in Shirleysburg, PA, provides excellent value for money, accompanied by swift turnaround times. We aim to serve businesses of all sizes, ensuring affordability without compromising quality.

Our services are designed to eliminate financial barriers while delivering quick yet accurate results, ensuring peace of mind for any business seeking reliable substance testing solutions.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Shirleysburg, PA, hair follicle drug tests are recognized for delivering fast and accurate results. The high precision in detecting varied substances makes this testing method highly reliable, catering to both individual and organizational needs.

Speed and reliability stand at the forefront of hair follicle testing. It efficiently processes samples, ensuring stakeholders receive dependable information about potential substance use quickly, maintaining high accuracy in detection.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Shirleysburg, PA, can achieve peace of mind with hair follicle testing, ensuring adherence to drug-free workplace policies while reducing potential legal issues.

Hair testing provides consistency and compliance assurance, proving essential for maintaining workplace safety. By using this robust method, Shirleysburg employers can confidently enforce their drug policies, enhancing overall workplace wellbeing.

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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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