NCJ Number
174960
Journal
Security Management Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Dated: March 1997 Pages: 56-59
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Drug testing has become routine practice among some of the largest employers in the United States; according to figures published by the American Management Association, more than 81 percent of major U.S. companies use drug testing.
Abstract
The most common drug testing method is urinalysis. Because this technique is not always effective, some companies are finding hair analysis is easier to carry out and is harder for employees to subvert. The testing of more than 1 million hair specimens by various organizations has shown that hair analysis is an effective and safe drug-testing medium. When drugs are ingested, they circulate throughout the bloodstream. As the blood nourishes hair follicles, trace amounts of drug residue become entrapped in the core of the hair shaft. These traces cannot be washed or flushed out and remain in the hair as it grows out, typically at one-half inch per month. Hair testing can detect drug use that occurred over several months prior to the test, depending on the length of the hair sample. Testing technology for hair, using radioimmunoassay screen followed by ultra-sensitive gas chromatography/mass spectrometry procedures for confirmation, mirrors the testing procedures conducted with urinalysis. Increased detection levels and other benefits are due to the stability of drugs in hair. Specific benefits of hair testing are detailed, and information is provided on hair-testing costs, testing laboratories, court acceptance of hair-testing results, and hair-testing standards and goals. 1 photograph