Hair Follicle Drug Test

Hair sample drug testing is a great way to detect whether or not a person has used drugs in the past 90 days. Hair sample drug test is efficient in determining an individual’s drug use history when compared with other drug tests because trace amounts of drug chemicals become trapped inside cortex of each hair. The presence of drugs in hair is based on a simple principle. Drugs that are ingested circulate in a person's bloodstream that nourishes developing hair follicles. A simple lab test can detect these trace chemicals making for either a positive or negative test result.

Hair Follicle Drug Test:

Hair drug screen is the method for detecting drugs in hair using enzyme-immunoassay (EIA). EIA measures the drug molecules in the hair, which were deposited into the hair follicle after the drug was used. The five drug classes mandated by the Federal Government for hair drug testing are: Cocaine (Cocaine & Benzoylecgonine), Marijuana (THC), Opiates (Codeine, Morphine & 6- Monacteyl Morphine), Methamphetamine (Meth, Amphetamine & Ecstasy) and Phencyclidine (PCP).

Before the hair follicle drug test is actually started, the shell of the hair strands is stripped away to eliminate any external contaminants. The sensitivity levels for hair follicle drug test are different for the drug tested. The sensitivity levels for the hair follicle drug test are measured in terms of Pico grams per Milliliter (pg/ml). The cutoff level for Marijuana metabolite class is 1 pg/ml. where as for Opiates class it is 500 pg/ml. The other three classes Cocaine metabolite, Phencyclidine (PCP) and Amphetamines/Methamphetamine MDMA (Ecstasy) have sensible levels at 300 pg/ml.

Advantages of Hair Follicle Drug Test:

An illegal drugs substance abuser may abstain from using drugs for 3 days to 2 weeks prior to applying for a job. With traditional drug testing, there is a good chance that the applicants will test negative and then start using again once they are hired in. There is also the chance of adulterating the specimen. Companies that implement hair follicular drug testing can be relieved to know that this is not possible with hair testing. Abstaining or adulterating the specimen cannot beat hair tests.

Employee drug testing programs often incorporate hair follicle drug testing into their plans because of the sheer accuracy of these tests. Likewise, hair follicle drug testing does not involve the embarrassing collection of samples like that of urine or saliva drug tests. In most cases, a few strands of hair are all that is needed to obtain accurate results.