Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Grantsville, UT

What it is, How it works

Hair examinations have emerged as an influential means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers an extended historical overview of alcohol and drug use by encasing biomarkers within the fibers of the growing hair strand. When collected near the scalp, hair provides an approximate 3-month time frame for detecting alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to gather, somewhat hard to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.

A 1.5-inch section consisting of around 200 hair strands (approximately the thickness of a #2 pencil) near the scalp can yield 100mg of hair, an ideal amount for analysis and validation. For EtG, additional features, and/or panels exceeding 10, a 150mg sample is advisable. We suggest employing a jeweler’s scale to weigh the specimen. If scalp hair is unavailable, an equivalent amount of body hair can be utilized. The term head hair specifically refers to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types of hair (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

There are four primary steps involved in laboratory processing of a drug test outcome: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is the preliminary handling of a sample within a laboratory’s system. This process ensures the sample was correctly sealed and dispatched, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any further data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening is a preliminary rapid assessment for substance abuse. While Screening serves as a cost-efficient approach to dismiss drug use in most samples, a positive screen necessitates confirmation to be permissible in legal settings. All samples indicating a positive in Screening require secondary validation.

If a sample tests presumptively positive at the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and prepared for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from the hair at significantly lower concentrations than when using alternative methodologies (i.e., urine or oral fluid), highlighting why hair drug screening is considered the most intricate methodology to execute.

Validation of any positive screening result is carried out using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing prior to confirmation as required. The entire laboratory workflow from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair certification and the ISO / IEC 17025 standard accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection timeframe: Hair drug tests can identify drug use up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which have a more limited detection period.
• Hard to manipulate: Manipulating a hair drug test is extremely challenging, thereby enhancing result accuracy.
• Offers historical insight: It can display a pattern of drug consumption over time, beyond recent usage.

Limitations:

• Inability to detect recent consumption: It generally takes 5-7 days for drugs to be identifiable in hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests usually cost more than other testing methods.
• Disparities in outcomes: Elements like hair color and personal differences in hair growth can influence drug metabolite concentration in hair.

Note: Although frequently termed “hair follicle tests,” the analysis is performed on the hair strand itself, not the follicle beneath the scalp

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Grantsville, UT, hair follicle testing offers distinct advantages over traditional urine testing. It excels in detecting drug use over a longer period, boasting enhanced accuracy and resistance to tampering. This makes it a more reliable option, widely preferred for its precision and effectiveness in drug detection.

Extended Detection Window

In Grantsville, UT, hair follicle testing's extended detection period of up to 90 days provides employers a detailed overview of substance use. This comprehensive detection window enables a thorough examination of an individual's drug history, surpassing the typical range of urine tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In Grantsville, UT, hair follicle testing is renowned for its tamper-resistant qualities. The physical nature of the sample limits the potential for adulteration, ensuring the results are both reliable and credible, thus reinforcing its preferred status for trustworthy drug screening.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

In Grantsville, UT, the convenience of widespread testing locations, including local centers, is emphasized. These facilities offer seamless access to drug testing services across the nation, contributing to an easy and stress-free experience for those in need of such tests.

Simple, Confidential Process

In Grantsville, UT, the hair follicle testing process is designed to be simple and confidential. From ordering to receiving results, this streamlined approach addresses privacy concerns while maintaining ease of use, providing reassurance to users seeking discretion.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Competitive pricing and quick turnaround times in Grantsville, UT, make hair follicle testing an attractive choice. It offers excellent value to companies irrespective of their size, delivering fast results without breaking the bank, enhancing both affordability and quality.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle drug tests in Grantsville, UT, provide rapid yet precise results. Their ability to detect numerous substances with high accuracy is unparalleled. This technology excels at offering reliable outcomes quickly, ensuring users are able to make informed decisions promptly and with confidence.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Grantsville, UT, find peace of mind with hair follicle testing ensuring compliance with drug-free work policies. This method reduces legal liabilities and fortifies workplace safety, aligning with the regulatory requirements and fostering a secure organizational environment.

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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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