Hair Follicle Drug Testing - San Juan, WA

What it is, How it works

Hair analysis has become recognized as a crucial method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair retains a comprehensive timeline of alcohol and drug use by capturing biomarkers within the growing hair strand fibers. If collected near the scalp, hair analysis can offer up to a three-month timeframe for detecting alcohol and drugs. This method is easy to collect, relatively hard to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.

A 1.5-inch sample consisting of around 200 hairs (approximately the size of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the perfect amount for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests beyond 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advised. It's suggested to weigh the sample using a jeweler's scale. If scalp hair can't be collected, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be used. When mentioning head hair, it pertains exclusively to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory processing of a drug test outcome comprises four core steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning includes the sample's initial entry into a lab’s system. This phase verifies the sample's proper sealing and shipment, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any additional data entry omitted by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening offers a quick preliminary examination for drug abuse. While Screening is a budget-friendly method to determine drug absence in most samples, a positive result requires confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples with a presumed positive result in Screening necessitate secondary confirmation.

If a sample is presumptively positive at the Screening phase, further hair is extracted from the initial sample for Extraction. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at substantially lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug analysis the most complex method to execute.

Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Any samples presumed positive undergo washing prior to necessary confirmation. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is monitored under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.

Advantages of hair drug analysis:

• Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can reveal drug usage for up to 90 days, in contrast to urine tests with shorter detection periods.
• Hard to falsify: Cheating a hair drug test is very challenging, thus leading to more precise outcomes.
• Tracks historical usage: It offers a pattern of drug usage over time, rather than just recent use.

Limitations:

• Not suitable for recent use detection: Drugs take around 5-7 days to become traceable within hair.
• Expense: Hair drug tests typically entail higher costs compared to other drug testing techniques.
• Result variations: Aspects like hair color and personal hair growth differences can influence the concentration of drug metabolites in hair.

Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the examination focuses on analyzing the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

When comparing hair follicle testing to traditional urine tests in San Juan, WA, hair testing outshines due to superior detection accuracy and reliability. Hair tests detect drug use over longer periods, unlike urine tests, and offer a deeper insight into substance history with high dependability.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in San Juan, WA, provides an extended detection window of up to 90 days. This allows employers to get a comprehensive look at an individual’s substance use history, offering a more thorough background check than shorter-term urine tests.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In San Juan, WA, the hair follicle test’s method greatly reduces tampering. Hair samples, collected under observation, minimize risks of adulteration, providing reliable and unquestionable results, crucial for maintaining integrity in testing.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

With Nationwide centers, including those in San Juan, WA, Accredited Drug Testing offers convenience in accessing hair follicle testing. Our expansive reach ensures quick, easy, and hassle-free testing, accommodating local and nationwide needs.

Simple, Confidential Process

In San Juan, WA, the process for hair follicle testing is simple and confidential. From ordering in a straightforward manner to discreetly receiving results, the process addresses privacy concerns efficiently, ensuring ease of use.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering affordable pricing and fast turnaround, hair follicle testing in San Juan, WA, provides excellent value. Competitive pricing structures combined with quick response times deliver peace of mind for companies of various sizes.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In San Juan, WA, hair follicle drug tests are renowned for their speed and accuracy. These tests quickly detect substance use, making the process efficient and reliable. With their high precision, hair tests ensure accurate detection, providing trustworthy results that support informed decisions.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Employers in San Juan, WA, gain peace of mind and compliance with drug-free policies using hair follicle tests. These tests help diminish legal risks, promoting a safer workplace environment, crucial in upholding organizational 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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