usa drug test » Drug Abuse

The Future Of Drug Testing – Hair Sampling

UsaDrugTest — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:08:49 +0000

One may consider the hair as a person’s crowning glory. In fact, most people spend hours in front of the mirror fixing their hair. Aside from making each one of us look good, the hair has yet another function you might be interested in. In today’s modern world, there comes another way of detecting drugs in individuals. Yes, using the hair! And it is actually the most accurate method of detecting drug abuse in individuals. It can detect drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates and the like. It is known as the hair drug test.

1. Ten Times More Effective Than Urine Drug Tests

With this kind of modern and convenient method, it is now easy for schools and even employers to test students and employees to determine whether or not they have drugs in their system. Hair drug tests come in handy kits with instructions on how to get hair specimens, then send it to the laboratory for evaluation.

2. How It Works:

According to studies, when a person takes in drugs, as with any other substances, such as food, medicines, or drinks, it mixes with our blood, and as we all know, the blood nourishes all parts of our body, including the head. Hints of these chemicals then become trapped or filtered through the hair follicle, thus, as the hair grows, these chemicals are stored in the hair. Interestingly, these chemicals become a part of the hair itself.

- Very accurate – Chemicals in the hair can be traced – Traces not just drugs in system at the time, but over the past three months! – A two-inch sample can give that persons drug history for a four month period of time – Hair drug testing is much more costly than urine testing – Hair testing is now widely used due to it’s effectiveness

3. How It’s Done:

- A hair drug test involves cutting a minimum of 50 strands of hair – Hair must be cut approximately one and a half inches from the scalp – Hair is then sent to the drug testing laboratory – The hair is actually screened and reviewed, then liquified for final testing – There are lots of hair drug testing kits available today

4. Hair Drug Testing Kits

Hair drug testing kits, though widely available, are not affordable. Prices range from $50-$69 for a complete kit. Laboratory processing fees are usually included when you make your purchase.

One point of view to consider tough – a positive test result does not automatically mean the person uses illegal drugs. In fact, positive results are sometimes triggered by other legal substances. One maybe is under medication or taking maintenance medications, or over-the-counter medications. It is wise therefore, that when the confirmation test comes back positive, it is important for a doctor, nurse, or other specialist to review the results and determine if illegal drugs are indeed the guilty party.

5. Beating Hair Drug Tests Is Impossible

Now other smart individuals are finding ways and means to beat the hair drug tests. Some say one can pass it through a kind of shampoo, especially from companies that claim that their shampoo cleans off all the toxins in the hair, but they are wrong. These toxins are already part of the hair follicle’s structure, cleaning it will literally mean taking it all off. The hair is like a plant. If a plant grows in a toxic environment, it will absorb toxins and toxins will become part of its structure – no amount of shampoo will change that.

As we cannot clean off toxins in the hair, can we mask it by bleach or dyeing one’s hair? Maybe for a time, yes we can. But then, our skin is made up of fatty tissues. These fatty tissues are responsible for storing toxins in the body. When our body sweats, it gives off skin oil and release toxins, and these will be touched and be absorbed by the hair. It’s like a cycle. The masked hair will then be contaminated once more.

Others shave off their hair, but sad to say, toxins don’t leave the body anytime soon. If you are being kept in confinement, your hair will slowly grow back in, and your drug use history will come back for all to see with it.

Advantages of Hair Drug Tests

UsaDrugTest — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:56:28 +0000

Hair drug testing is one of the convenient means of detecting drug abuse. This test can be performed almost at any place of your choice. Hair drug test is so accurate that it is almost impossible to adulterate the test samples. It is very simple to perform and detect five major drugs that are cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine and phencyclidine.

Advantages of Hair Drug Testing:

Hair sample drug test is efficient in determining an individual’s drug use history (up to 90 days) when compared with other drug tests, as the trace amounts of drug chemicals will get trapped inside the cortex of each hair. The following are some of the advantages of hair drug testing.

Ease of use:

The process of hair drug test is very easy. All that’s needed is a few strands of hair, taken close to the root. Once the sample is selected from the donor, it is placed in the specimen container. It is then send to the laboratory for testing. Hair follicle drug testing does not involve embarrassing collection of samples like that of other drug tests, and is most preferred by the corporates.

Long duration of detection:

Hair drug tests can detect drug abuse for longer periods than the other drug tests. Hair sample drug test is efficient in determining an individual’s drug abuse history when compared with other drug tests because trace amounts of drug chemicals get trapped inside cortex of each hair.

Difficult to adulterate:

It is highly impossible to adulterate test samples. Donors cannot cheat the test by changing the samples, because the sample is collected from the donor in the presence of the test supervisors. Adulteration of the specimen cannot beat hair tests unlike other types of drug tests.

Detects five major drugs:

A hair drug test can detect five major drugs, which include cocaine (cocaine & benzoylecgonine), marijuana, opiates (codeine, morphine & 6-monacteyl morphine), methamphetamine (methamphetamine & ecstasy), and phencyclidine (PCP). Hair drug screen is the method for detecting drugs in hair using enzyme-immunoassay (EIA), which is an industry standard for reliable and accurate drug testing.

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 is all that is needed to obtain accurate results.

The Advantages of Workplace Saliva Drug Tests

UsaDrugTest — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:07:08 +0000

The drive for a healthier, more positive, and safer workplace is of high importance to each company or organization. The current health of the workplace tells a lot on the outlook of the company. However, the menace of drug abuse has not caught the attention of most employers. Education on workplace drug testing is not given priority. Therefore cracks and gaps that can endanger the workplace environment still occur.

Saliva drug testing

Saliva drug testing is known as an on-site drug monitoring tool. Its matrix of benefits provides a certain niche where saliva drug testing is more advantageous over the traditional urine drug tests. Saliva drug tests is gaining relevance for employers who seek efficient and current drug monitoring that employs a non-invasive approach and quick results.

The advantages of saliva drug testing over urine drug testing are multi-dimensional. First, saliva drug tests are very donor friendly as compared to urine extraction or blood sample monitoring. With a quick dash of padded sample collector, an employee can be tested quickly and without much of a hassle. Saliva drug testing is pain free and quick to administer so that employees can go about their business without missing a step.

Consequently, saliva drug testing is much more difficult to adulterate. Employees under the influence of drugs will not have the time to switch urine cups or hide in bathrooms. This is especially useful in random drug testing. As adulteration is prevented, the accuracy of these monitoring tools will increase while preventing employees to take advantage of the cracks of traditional urine drug tests.

Saliva drug testing also have quicker detection rates than urine drug testing or blood sample testing. Analysis of the results can be done on-site without the need for complex lab material. Because of this, saliva drug tests are viewed as something especially designed for quick facilitation of drug monitoring for employees.

The use of saliva as a biological sample in drug testing also gives higher correlation with traditional samples on among certain drugs. There is a higher presence of the parent drug than metabolites in saliva which gives these tests a better reading on the specific type of drug use. In addition, there is a high correlation between the drug found in saliva and the drug found in blood. As a current drug use monitoring tool, saliva has been found to be effective vehicles of cocaine during a cocaine rush.

Saliva drug testing is useful in scenarios where urine drug testing isn’t. Saliva drug testing is proven useful in detecting the drug use of automobile drivers and victims after a road accident. Saliva drug testing can also be used as a quick tool for safety-sensitive position and industries such as construction, manufacturing, and the health service sector. Ultimately, what saliva drug testing tells us is that there is a relationship between current use and the drug’s temporal effects.