Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Plain City, UT

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is recognized as a potent method for detecting the use of alcohol and drugs. Hair retains a prolonged history of drug and alcohol consumption by embedding biomarkers within the growing strands. When gathered near the scalp, it can offer up to an approximate 3-month detection period for such substances. Hair is easy to collect, somewhat challenging to tamper with, and convenient to send.

Cutting a 1.5-inch segment of around 200 hairs (approximating the thickness of a #2 pencil) near the scalp yields 100mg, which is the ideal quantity for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the specimen is advisable. Using a jeweler’s scale is recommended to weigh the hair sample. If scalp hair is unavailable, an equivalent amount of body hair can be used. The term head hair denotes only scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (e.g., facial, axillary).

Process Overview

The drug test results are processed in the laboratory through four key phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning is the process of integrating a sample into a laboratory system. This includes ensuring the sample was properly sealed and transported, generating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any remaining data entry not captured by an electronic chain of custody.

Screening involves a preliminary swift check for drug abuse. While Screening provides an economical method to exclude drug use in most samples, any positive result requires confirmation to be valid in legal proceedings. Samples that return a presumptive positive in Screening necessitate further confirmation.

If a presumptive positive is found during the Screening phase, additional hair is retrieved from the initial sample for Extraction. Here, drugs are isolated from hair at lower concentrations than other techniques (such as urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening notably complex.

GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS is used to confirm any positive screening outcomes. Any presumptive positive samples are cleansed before confirmation as needed. The full laboratory process from Accessioning through Confirmation is examined per the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and aligns with ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can catch drug use for as long as 90 days, contrasted with the shorter window of urine tests.
• Hard to falsify results: Given its high resilience to tampering, hair drug test results tend to be more accurate.
• Historical patterns: It can reveal a timeline of drug use over an extended duration, rather than just recent consumption.

Limitations:

• No detection of recent use: It generally requires 5-7 days for drugs to become noticeable in hair.
• Expense: Typically, hair drug tests cost more than alternative drug testing techniques.
• Result variability: Factors like hair color and individual hair growth differences can influence the presence of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: While commonly termed "hair follicle tests", these tests actually examine the hair strands, not the follicles beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

In Plain City, UT, hair follicle drug tests outperform urine tests due to their superior detection capabilities. Hair tests cover a 90-day period compared to urine's shorter timeframe, making them a more reliable choice.

This method minimizes the chance of evasion and provides a clear look at an individual's substance use history, thus preferred by employers over traditional urine tests.

Extended Detection Window

Employers in Plain City, UT benefit from hair follicle tests due to their extended detection window of up to 90 days. This capability offers a detailed historical view of an individual’s drug use.

Unlike other methods, hair testing in Plain City provides a broader timeframe, ensuring employers have comprehensive data regarding potential substance abuse.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In Plain City, UT, hair follicle testing reduces sample tampering. The test's collection process and analysis make it challenging for individuals to alter results, ensuring high data integrity.

Employers rely on the precision of hair tests for dependable results, minimizing risks associated with adulteration compared to other testing forms.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With testing centers nationwide, including Plain City, UT, accessing hair follicle drug testing is convenient. Our network offers rapid, straightforward access.

Residents in Plain City benefit from local and national centers, ensuring testing services remain accessible and hassle-free, supporting quick and easy compliance.

Simple, Confidential Process

The hair follicle testing process in Plain City, UT is straightforward and confidential. Ordering, taking, and receiving results are designed with privacy and simplicity in mind.

Clients experience a secure process where sensitive information is protected, ensuring peace of mind throughout the testing procedure.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Plain City, UT offers competitive pricing for hair follicle tests, alongside quick result turnaround. Our service provides excellent value for companies.

Affordable testing ensures businesses of all sizes can access reliable drug screening methods without sacrificing financial resources or accuracy.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Hair follicle testing in Plain City, UT provides fast and precise detection of substances. This method stands out for its accuracy in revealing drug use, offering results you can trust quickly.

With hair tests, employers can efficiently identify substance abuse with reliability, knowing they're making informed decisions based on accurate data.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in Plain City, UT gain from hair follicle testing by ensuring compliance with drug-free workplace policies. This method reduces legal issues and promotes safety.

By using hair testing, companies are better equipped to maintain a secure environment, aligning with zero-tolerance policies efficiently and confidently.

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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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