NCJ Number
105096
Journal
Security Management Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1987) Pages: 40-44
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A new drug test called the radioimmunoassay of hair (RIAH) shows the kind, amount, and timing of drug use and does not misidentify innocent people the way urinalysis can.
Abstract
This test has some additional advantages. Drug users cannot evade it, and it is likely to withstand court challenges. Scientists Werner and Annette Baumgartner developed the test, which has undergone field testing and is now considered viable for large-scale commercial applications. It is the only test that can distinguish between light users and heavy users. Drugs embedded in hair remain there permanently in proportion to the amount ingested. They cannot be washed out. A strand of hair that is 5 or 6 inches in length can provide information about drug use in the past 6 months. Obtaining a hair sample is easy and does not involve the privacy issues of urinalysis. In addition, urinalysis is subject to many types of error, evasion, and sabotage. RIAH is likely to stand up in court to charges of invasion of privacy, provided it is not done surreptitiously. The test costs more than urinalysis, but it does not need to be done nearly as often and will probably save legal costs. The use of RIAH is likely to increase as knowledge of its reliability spreads. Chart.