Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Liberty, WI

What it is, How it works

Hair testing has emerged as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a comprehensive record of alcohol and drug biomarkers within its fibers as it grows. Collected near the scalp, hair offers a detection span of roughly three months for alcohol and drugs. It is straightforward to collect, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to transport.

A 1.5-inch sample consisting of around 200 hair strands (approximately the dimension of a #2 pencil) near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is ideal for screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advisable. We suggest using a jeweler's scale for precise weighing. In the absence of scalp hair, a comparable quantity of body hair can be collected. When discussing head hair, we specifically refer to scalp hair, while body hair encompasses other types (e.g., facial, axillary).

Process Overview

The processing stages for a drug test in the laboratory include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning covers the sample's initial processing into the lab's system, ensuring it was sealed and shipped correctly, assigning a Laboratory Accessioning Number (LAN), and entering any missing data that wasn't provided by an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening provides an initial and rapid drug abuse check. Though it is a cost-efficient way to dismiss drug use in most samples, a positive result must be confirmed for court admissibility. Presumptive positives in Screening require a secondary confirmation.

Upon a presumptive positive result in Screening, additional hair is taken from the original sample for Extraction. Drugs are extracted at much lower concentrations from hair than other methods (like urine or oral fluid), making hair screening the most complex testing method.

Positive screenings are confirmed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are cleaned before confirmation as necessary. The entire laboratory process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is conducted under both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Long detection window: Hair drug tests identify drug use up to 90 days, while urine tests have a shorter duration.
• Difficulty to cheat: Cheating a hair drug test is highly challenging, ensuring more accurate outcomes.
• Provides historical data: It reveals a pattern of drug use over time, not merely recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Cannot detect recent use: It requires about 5-7 days for drugs to be detectable in hair.
• Cost: Hair drug tests generally incur higher expenses compared to other testing methods.
• Variations in results: Hair color and growth differences can affect metabolite concentration in the hair.

Note: Although often termed "hair follicle tests", the analysis focuses on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

The use of hair follicle testing in Liberty, WI outshines traditional urine tests by offering superior accuracy in detecting drug use. Hair testing captures a more extended period of substance intake, making it nearly foolproof by reducing the window for manipulation. Urine tests, while effective in recent usage, cannot match the long-term detection and reliability offered by hair follicle analysis, providing comprehensive assessments.

Extended Detection Window

Hair follicle testing in Liberty, WI offers an extensive detection window extending up to 90 days, surpassing other testing methods like urine tests. This long detection period gives employers a thorough understanding of an employee or applicant's drug use history, supporting better-informed hiring or retention decisions. This ability to view an extended timeline is crucial for maintaining a drug-free environment.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

In Liberty, WI, hair follicle tests significantly reduce the risk of sample tampering, providing reliable and unquestionable results. Due to the nature of hair testing, attempts to adulterate or cheat are effectively minimized. These tests offer peace of mind for employers and legal entities who rely on the authenticity and integrity of the sample, ensuring compliance with drug-free policies robustly.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accredited Drug Testing offers the convenience of nationwide testing locations, including Liberty, WI, ensuring quick and hassle-free access to testing services. Our widespread network provides peace of mind, helping individuals and employers efficiently access reliable drug testing, allowing seamless conformity to substance-free policies with local ease and comfort.

Simple, Confidential Process

Our approach in Liberty, WI, focuses on a simple, confidential process for arranging hair follicle drug tests, alleviating privacy concerns. Ordering, undergoing, and obtaining results are streamlined for ease of use, ensuring that individuals and businesses can benefit from our testing services without complexity or delay, upholding confidentiality throughout the procedure.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Offering competitive pricing and fast turnaround times, our hair follicle testing solutions in Liberty, WI provide excellent value for companies of all sizes. Quick and efficient processing ensures that businesses receive comprehensive test results rapidly, enabling prompt decision-making. Our approach guarantees affordability without compromising speed or reliability.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

In Liberty, WI, hair follicle drug tests deliver fast and reliable results, providing unparalleled accuracy in substance detection. The precision of these tests ensures that any drug usage is detected with high fidelity, contributing to their preference over other testing methods. The rapid return of results assures employers of making swift and informed decisions, supporting workplace safety policies efficiently.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Hair follicle testing in Liberty, WI helps employers maintain compliance with drug-free workplace policies, thus contributing to workplace safety and legal assurance. With a much longer detection period, employers can rest easy knowing they have a comprehensive tool to enforce their drug-free initiatives, minimizing risks and enhancing the safety of their workforce 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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