by Nicole Jupe on June 27, 2016
Question: Can products and treatments affect hair drug test results?
Some employers who use hair testing as part of their workplace drug testing program wonder if hair products – like shampoos, sprays, gels, coloring, bleaching, and perming – can have an impact on their test results. We asked Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science and Technology, Quest Diagnostics, to better explain the potential effects.
- When shampoos, sprays or gels were applied to cut hair samples, they had little or no effect on positive or negative hair specimens.
- When normal hair treatments, including bleaching or dyeing, were applied to cut hair samples, they typically did not interfere with test results.
- When tested under worst-case scenario conditions, most treatments had minimal or no impact on test results for the majority of drugs. When there was an effect, screening absorbance readings became more negative for positive hair specimens, and slightly more negative for the negative samples.
Hair testing for drugs of abuse is the only drug testing method available that provides up to a 90-day drug use history. When compared to urine testing, hair testing tends to provide a greater number of positive test results due to its longer detection window. Hair testing requires a small sample of hair that is collected under direct supervision. Observed collections make hair testing a tamper-resistant screening method in that it’s difficult for a donor to cheat.
Visit our Hair Testing FAQ webpage for more frequency asked questions about hair testing.
To learn more about hair testing, download our case study, white paper and webinar.
For more information, contact us online.
by Steve Beller on May 12, 2016
On April 23, the Detroit Free Press reported that the Detroit Catholic Central High School will begin hair testing their students for marijuana, opiates, cocaine and other drugs. This is one of many examples of a rising trend among private high schools searching for new ways to discourage drug use among teens.
Proponents of random drug testing in schools cite a 2013 study from the Institute for Behavior and Health, which states that “significantly fewer students in the Tested group reported past month use of marijuana and other illicit drugs (cocaine, opiates and amphetamine/methamphetamine) than students in the Not Tested group: 26.3 percent of Not Tested students reported past month marijuana use and 12.6 percent of Tested students used marijuana in this time. Similarly, 14 percent of Not Tested students used any of the other three illicit drugs while 8.5 percent of Tested students reported use of these drugs.”
Schools considering starting drug testing programs should not look at testing as the only means to prevent drug abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “if testing is done, it should be a component of broader prevention, intervention and treatment programs, with the common goal of reducing students’ drug use.”
To date, only private schools are permitted to conduct random drug testing on students. Drug testing in public schools is permitted for students participating in extracurricular activities such as sports. A 2002 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that this practice does not violate students’ Fourth Amendment rights.
For more information about random drug testing, visit our website or contact us online.
Quest Diagnostics & Labet Offer Hair Drug Testing in Brazil
March 7, 2016NewsAccording to the World Health Organization, Brazil ranks fifth in the world for deaths as a result of car accidents. In addition, research published in the Journal of Addiction shows that some Brazilian drivers have serious problems with illicit drug and alcohol use. These statistics compelled Brazilian lawmakers to take actions to make travel safer […]