Hair Follicle Drug Testing
Hair follicle drug tests — commonly referred to as hair drug tests or simply hair tests — are utilized to identify habitual and periodic drug users due to its extended window of detection. During this type of drug testing, a small amount of hair is removed from a donor's head using scissors and then analyzed in a lab to determine if there are signs of drug use during the last 90 days.
To learn more about saliva or oral drug testing, to schedule your workplace screening, or to contact MMC, reach out today.
Pros and Cons of Hair Testing for Drug Use
When choosing how to drug test employees at your workplace, it is important to review the benefits and drawbacks of each option available to you prior to testing.
Pros of Hair Testing
- Long detection window
(30-60-90 days) - Higher rate of positive results
- Can reveal historical patterns of drug use in individuals
- Not easily subverted
- Suitable for pre-employment and return to duty testing
Cons of Hair Testing
- Relatively high cost
- Not a good option to detect sporadic drug use
- Longer turn-around times
- Challenging when the donor has shaved or is void of head or body hair
- Not approved for federal testing
- Not an appropriate method for post-accident or reasonable suspicion because of the detection window
Hair follicle testing is just one of many drug testing methods available for workplace testing. Be sure to explore other testing methodologies and reach out to Mobile Medical Corporation today.
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