Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Redwood City, CA

What it is, How it works

Hair testing is increasingly regarded as a powerful diagnostic method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. By capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the hair strand in growth, hair offers a prolonged history of drugs and alcohol. When clipped close to the scalp, it can offer a detection window of up to around three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and easy to transport.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches, comprising about 200 hair strands (approximately the thickness of a #2 pencil), taken closest to the scalp will provide 100mg, the optimal amount for screening and confirmation. For extended tests above 10 panels, EtG, or add-ons, a 150mg sample is advisable. Using a jeweler’s scale to weigh the sample is recommended. If scalp hair is not available, a similar amount of body hair can be used. When head hair is mentioned, it refers exclusively to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair varieties (facial hair, axillary hair, etc.).

Process Overview

The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four crucial stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning incorporates the initial sample processing into a lab's system. This process includes validating that the sample is sealed and transported appropriately, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any necessary data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening serves as a preliminary assessment for drugs of abuse. While Screening serves as an efficient means to rule out drug use in the majority of samples, a positive screen requires confirmation for court admissibility. Samples that are presumptively positive during Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.

If a sample shows a presumptive positive during Screening, further hair from the initial sample is extracted and prepared for Extraction. Drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other techniques (e.g., urine, oral fluid), which is why hair drug screening presents more challenges.

Confirmation of any positive screening results is carried out via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples indicating presumptive positivity undergo washing prior to confirmation, as needed. The entire laboratory protocol from Accessioning to Confirmation is examined under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

• Long detection span: Hair drug tests can identify drug usage up to 90 days, whereas urine tests offer a shorter detection span.
• Difficult to falsify: Cheating a hair drug test is exceedingly challenging, thereby improving result accuracy.
• Yields historical insight: It can reveal a pattern of drug use over time, rather than just recent consumption.

Limitations:

• Incapable of detecting recent consumption: Drugs become detectable in hair approximately 5-7 days following use.
• Costly: Hair drug tests typically incur higher expenses compared to alternative drug testing methods.
• Result variability: Hair color and individual differences in hair growth can influence drug metabolite concentration in hair.

Note: Although commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the actual test analyzes the hair strand rather than the hair follicle beneath the scalp.

Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing

Why Hair Follicle Testing Surpasses Urine Testing in Redwood City, CA
Hair follicle tests offer substantial advantages over urine tests, like heightened detection capabilities. They provide a superior analysis, identifying substances even long after use has occurred, unlike their more conventional counterparts.

Redwood City's shift toward hair tests reflects a broader recognition of their reliability. With hair follicle testing, false negatives are less likely, providing accurate insights into an individual's drug use history without relying on same-day detection.

Extended Detection Window

Prolonged Detection Range in Redwood City, CA
The capability of hair follicle tests to track drug use over a span of up to 90 days greatly benefits employers. Unlike short-term urine tests, hair tests reveal a person’s prolonged drug usage pattern, enabling informed decisions about employment and workplace safety.

Employers in Redwood City gain a more thorough overview of an individual's substance history, reinforcing their commitment to maintaining an engaging and secure working environment by understanding long-term habits.

Tamper-Resistant Testing Method

Impenetrable Testing Technique in Redwood City, CA
By substantially curbing the potential for sample adulteration, hair follicle tests ensure the delivery of results that can withstand scrutiny. These tests are renowned for their integrity, leaving minimal room for tampering attempts.

Redwood City establishments consider these tests as a dependable tool for ensuring transparency.When integrity and accuracy are vital, hair follicle testing stands as the gold standard, offering results that you can rely on.

Convenient Nationwide Locations

Accessible Nationwide and Local Testing Facilities in Redwood City, CA
Our testing centers are conveniently situated throughout the nation, offering seamless access to services for businesses and individuals alike. Locally, our Redwood City location ensures the community can easily access prompt and efficient testing services.

This network of centers makes the drug testing process hassle-free, contributing to a straightforward experience when verifying an individual’s compliance or screening candidates.

Simple, Confidential Process

Effortless and Confidential in Redwood City, CA
Simplicity and confidentiality are at the forefront of our drug testing process in Redwood City. From ordering to receiving results, every stage is designed to preserve privacy and ease, addressing potential concerns about personal information handling.

Users are assured of a streamlined experience, trusting that their data remains confidential while receiving precise results in a timely manner.

Affordable, Fast Turnaround

Cost-Effective and Swift in Redwood City, CA
Our pricing models offer competitive rates, ensuring access to comprehensive drug testing without overextending budgets. The swift turnaround in results ensures that businesses in Redwood City are not left waiting, securing timely information needed to make pivotal decisions.

These factors blend to provide incomparable value, making our services a strategic choice for businesses of all scales, further driving safety and compliance within the workplace.

Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results

Rapid, Precise, and Dependable Outcomes in Redwood City, CA
The efficiency and precision of hair follicle drug testing are unmatched. Not only do these tests accurately detect substance use, but they also deliver faster results than traditional methods, ensuring reliability while meeting the needs of modern workplaces.

The high level of accuracy offered by hair follicle tests delivers peace of mind. Redwood City employers can trust these tests to unveil whether employees have engaged in substance use, minimizing discrepancies and false negatives.

Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers

Adhering to Standards Brings Assurance to Employers in Redwood City, CA
Employers in Redwood City who adopt hair follicle testing contribute to a safer workplace. This method aligns with drug-free workplace policies, thus diminishing legal risks and enhancing overall safety.

Using hair follicle testing allows companies to enforce zero-tolerance policies effectively. The NA annual report showcases positive results in lowered incidents when this testing method is implemented, providing 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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