Hair Drug Testing
SureHire provides private hair drug testing services to individuals and to companies requiring employee hair drug testing services for pre-employment, pre-access and return to work. If you have any questions, or would like to have a SureHire representative contact you regarding hair drug testing, call us at 1-866-944-HIRE.
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SureHire is a certified Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) collection site.
SureHire is a certified Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) collection site.
Hair Drug Testing (Lab Based)
This is the newest service offered by SureHire to detect drug use/abuse. Although this particular type of drug testing has been common in the United States for many years, it is only now beginning to gain popularity in Canada.
The Process:
Hair testing is a simple, non-invasive process that requires donors to provide a hair sample of 1.5" (3.8cm). If the donor is unable to provide a sample of hair from their head, body hair may also be used. The sample is sent to the lab to be tested for drugs. There is no form of express hair testing currently available. (Express refers to immediate results.)
If a result is negative, results will be available within 5-7 business day, and if the results are non-negative (i.e. positive) results typically take 7-10 business days.
Currently there are two options for hair drug testing. The first is to test for the standard 5 panels. This tests for the following drugs: Amphetamines (including methanphetamines), Cannabinoids (Marijuana), Cocaine, Opiates (Codeine, Morphine, Heroin) and Phencyclidine (PCP). The second option is to test for the standard 5 panels along with an extended opiates panel, which tests for specific prescription drugs that are commonly abused, Oxycodone (Oxycotin, Percocet), Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet) and Hydromorphone (Dilaudid).
Time Line
The distinguishing factor of hair drug testing that may encourage or discourage it's use is the timeline of drug detection. Oral fluid tests for the shortest time frame of drug use: 24 hours. The time in urine drug testing is extended to: approximately 3 days to 3 weeks (depending upon the drug and the frequency of use). Hair comes in at the opposite end of the spectrum. A 1.5" (3.8cm) sample can determine drug use in the past 90 days. It can also be broken into 30 day increments, because 0.5" (1.3cm) is equal to approximately 30 days of hair growth. A hair test is able to pinpoint whether drugs were used 30, 60 or 90 days ago.
Hair Drug Tests Cannot Be Masked
One of the exciting aspects of hair drug testing is that participants cannot alter their hair in any way to mask drug use. There are "kits" on the market that claim to mask drugs for a hair test, but these kits have been proven ineffective time after time. For that reason, hair can be a worthwhile option for testing, depending upon the circumstances associated with the test.
Because of this, and paired with the long, relatively specific timeline and substantial reduction in cost since it was first used, hair drug testing is becoming increasingly popular in the court system, as well as the child welfare system.
Disclaimer
SureHire's hair drug testing services are intended to solely determine the presence of specific drugs for employment screening or law enforcement (including court ordered testing). The drug testing procedures performed, are accepted throughout the forensic and law enforcement communities we service. All screened samples that are presumptive positive are run through an entirely separate confirmation process and are confirmed by GC/MC or GC/GC/MS, which is an accepted standard for forensic drug testing. Our services are not intended to be used for diagnoses or treatment of disease or a condition. All of our drugs of abuse tests for hair are conducted at our certified, state of the art, hair testing lab, in Mogadore, OH. where are samples are sent.
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For more information on hair drug testing and whether it might be a good option for you or your company, please contact our office at 1-866-944-4473, or email us.
