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 June 8, 2016
My name is Steve. I’m a marketer. I joined Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions two months ago. My journey has been informative and sometimes challenging as I endeavor to learn a new industry. Today was my induction into “the lab life.” I spent the day watching and listening as our highly-trained (and passionate) laboratory employees walked me through the ins and outs of specimen processing, data capture, screening, confirmation, results interpretation and dozens of other processes.
What really struck me was the depth of the processes involved in making the lab operate: checks, double checks and cross-checks at every juncture in the drug testing process, expensive machines that automate and speed up the process, and technicians at every step working to ensure that every output is correct. The lab takes chain of custody to a whole new level. Every step is documented, signed and dated following well-hewn processes. The lab and its operation reminded me of a factory – a urine, oral fluid and hair testing factory.
I am amazed at the volume of work that gets tested in an industry where hand-written CCFs (Custody and Control Forms) are still the norm. Hard to read, faded, missing and illegible test numbers, donor names, and client ID’s bogged down the process. I can only imagine the impact of the electronic Custody and Control Form (eCCF) when our clients begin to utilize them for federally-mandated drug testing. As the Product Marketing Manager, a big part of my job will be nurturing and driving the adoption of eCCF. Truth be told, before today I knew eCCF was a big deal, but now I understand how truly monumental this evolution will be – not just for our laboratories, but for the drug testing industry as a whole.
My name is Steve. I’m a marketer. And after spending a day in our drug testing laboratory, I have a new found respect for this industry, for our laboratory employees, and for the processes – both existing and forthcoming – that enable us to deliver exceptional quality and fast turnaround times for tens of thousands of specimens every, single day.
For more information about urine 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 […]