Drug testing has been around for years but it has only been recently when hair drug tests have become available as foolproof methods of testing for the presence or absence of drugs in the body of a certain individual. A hair drug test is a forensic, quantitative, and anonymous laboratory analysis of hair samples to determine the presence or absence of illicit drugs and their metabolites in the core structure of human hair.
Many people wonder how hair drug testing can be possible. Testing for the presence or absence of drugs using human hair is based on a rather simple principle. Drugs that have entered our body are circulated in our bloodstream through different processes of absorption. These prohibited substances can very easily reach our hair because our developing hair follicles need to be nourished. Therefore, traces of drugs and their metabolites are deposited into our hair follicles and they will be enclosed in the core of hair shafts as they grow from our hair follicles. As our hair shafts grow, they record the different substances that have come into and gone from our system over time.
A hair drug test can detect the presence or absence of substances like cocaine (including benzoylecgonine), cannabis or marijuana, opiates (like codeine and morphine), amphetamines (including methamphetamines and ecstasy), and angel dust or phencyclidine. The amount of drugs and their metabolites in the hair, usually measured in picograms per milligram, can determine what kind or type of drug user a person is. The presence of drugs in the hair can reveal drug use in as early as 4 or 5 days and as far back as 90 days.
Typically, hair drug tests require about 40-50 strands of hair cut from the scalp line at the crown to be collected from subjects. When bundled, this should come up to about the diameter of a shoelace tip. The length of hair should ideally be about an inch and a half long but a hair drug test can be performed on a sample about half an inch long. It is best that hair samples are cut as close to the scalp as possible.
While there has been word that certain hair products can help people pass hair drug tests, most of them can only mask the hair. This will have no effect on the results of hair drug tests because a hair drug test processes the contents of the core of the hair shaft, not its external cover. - 30305
Many people wonder how hair drug testing can be possible. Testing for the presence or absence of drugs using human hair is based on a rather simple principle. Drugs that have entered our body are circulated in our bloodstream through different processes of absorption. These prohibited substances can very easily reach our hair because our developing hair follicles need to be nourished. Therefore, traces of drugs and their metabolites are deposited into our hair follicles and they will be enclosed in the core of hair shafts as they grow from our hair follicles. As our hair shafts grow, they record the different substances that have come into and gone from our system over time.
A hair drug test can detect the presence or absence of substances like cocaine (including benzoylecgonine), cannabis or marijuana, opiates (like codeine and morphine), amphetamines (including methamphetamines and ecstasy), and angel dust or phencyclidine. The amount of drugs and their metabolites in the hair, usually measured in picograms per milligram, can determine what kind or type of drug user a person is. The presence of drugs in the hair can reveal drug use in as early as 4 or 5 days and as far back as 90 days.
Typically, hair drug tests require about 40-50 strands of hair cut from the scalp line at the crown to be collected from subjects. When bundled, this should come up to about the diameter of a shoelace tip. The length of hair should ideally be about an inch and a half long but a hair drug test can be performed on a sample about half an inch long. It is best that hair samples are cut as close to the scalp as possible.
While there has been word that certain hair products can help people pass hair drug tests, most of them can only mask the hair. This will have no effect on the results of hair drug tests because a hair drug test processes the contents of the core of the hair shaft, not its external cover. - 30305
About the Author:
In a world of changing ethics and propelling questions hair follicle drug test has a variety of uses. A hair drug testing is something the athletic organizations, forensics, insurance companies and large corporations will need to be aware of. Hair drug testing is one of the top methods because it can provide an accurate history of use and is the longest lasting piece of evidence.
