Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Granite Shoals, TX

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis is regarded as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair retains a long-term record of alcohol and drug use by capturing biomarkers in the strands of the growing hair. When collected near the scalp, hair can offer up to roughly a 3-month detection timeframe for alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, fairly challenging to tamper with, and convenient to ship.

A 1.5-inch segment comprising approximately 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the optimum amount for testing and validating. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale for specimen weighing. If scalp hair is not available, a similar quantity of body hair may be obtained. When referring to head hair, it denotes only scalp hair. Body hair implies all other hair categories (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The fundamental steps involved in laboratory processing of a drug test outcome include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning entails the initial organization of a sample within a laboratory’s framework. This process involves verifying that the sample was appropriately sealed and dispatched, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any further data entry not included in an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves a preliminary rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient method to eliminate drug usage on most samples, a positive screening warrants confirmation for legal acceptability. Any samples that show preliminary positive in Screening necessitate an additional confirmation step.

If a sample indicates a preliminary positive in the Screening phase, more hair is extracted from the original sample and prepared for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are isolated from hair at much lower concentrations than in other procedures (ex. urine or oral fluid), which is why hair drug evaluation is considered the most complex method to conduct.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples presumed positive are washed before confirmation as needed. The entire laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can detect drug consumption for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which offer a shorter detection period.
• Resistance to tampering: It is exceedingly hard to deceive a hair drug test, ensuring more accurate outcomes.
• Provides usage history: It can depict a pattern of drug utilization over a period, not limited to recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent usage: Drugs become detectable in hair after approximately 5-7 days.
• Expense: Hair drug tests typically cost more than other drug testing methods.
• Result variation: Elements like hair color and personal differences in hair growth can influence the concentration of drug metabolites in the hair.

Note: Although often labeled "hair follicle tests," the test evaluates the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Granite Shoals, TX, the advantages of hair follicle testing are evident when compared to traditional urine tests. Hair analyses provide a more accurate depiction of drug use history, extending up to 90 days, offering a vast improvement over urine tests. This superior method ensures better detection accuracy, aiding employers and courts significantly.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Granite Shoals, TX gain a comprehensive view of applicant or employee drug histories through hair follicle testing. Capable of detecting substances over a lengthy 90-day window, this method presents an unparalleled overview of one's past usage, ensuring thorough insights into substance use patterns.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

The risk of tampered samples is drastically reduced with hair follicle tests in Granite Shoals, TX. This method provides trustworthy and indisputable results, shielding employers and legal bodies from inaccuracies typically faced with other testing types, thus ensuring greater integrity in substance use evaluations.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With numerous convenient testing centers nationwide, including local sites in Granite Shoals, TX, accessing drug testing services is incredibly straightforward. These facilities provide rapid and hassle-free testing solutions, making the process efficient for employers and individuals alike, whenever needed.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Granite Shoals, TX, the process of ordering, conducting, and receiving hair follicle drug test results is streamlined and confidential. This simple approach prioritizes privacy and ease of use, offering individuals and organizations peace of mind while managing substance evaluations.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing and fast turnaround times, hair follicle drug testing in Granite Shoals, TX provides excellent value. Businesses of various sizes appreciate the affordability and speed of results, allowing for confident and informed decision-making in substance use evaluations.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Granite Shoals, TX residents benefit from the swift, precise outcomes of hair follicle drug testing. With a high-degree of accuracy, hair testing effectively identifies substance use, ensuring dependable results. Whether used by employers or legal entities, this method instills confidence through its reliability and quick turnaround.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Hair follicle testing in Granite Shoals, TX ensures firms remain compliant with drug-free policies, significantly curtailing legal risks and promoting a safer working environment. This testing method reassures employers by reinforcing workplace policies, aligning with accepted standards and ensuring 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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