The science and benefits of hair testing
Hair testing plays a key role in the detection of alcohol and substance misuse in family law proceedings. Analysis can go back as far as a hair strand allows, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances relating to a specific case.
A court may order testing in situations such as child custody disputes, where the hair testing can establish the presence or absence of alcohol or substances in a person’s system. This information can be used to make decisions about child custody or visitation and can also be used to determine whether a person needs treatment for alcohol or substance abuse.
The science behind hair testing
Scalp hair testing
Hair grows approximately one cm per month, and so a three cm section equates to approximately three months, analysed as a whole or sectioned into individual months.
Consecutive sections provide a retrospective history of drug use. The sectional month by month analysis can trend the drugs detected and provide a comprehensive understanding of the history of the donor.
For example, if a hair sample is twelve cm long, a history going back an entire year can be obtained.
M. Saitoh, M. U. (1969). Rate of Hair Growth. In R. D. W. Montagna, Advances in biology of Skin (pp. 183-201). Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Body hair
An alternative to scalp hair and is still an accurate analysis for the detection of drugs, metabolites and alcohol markers.
Body hair samples have more telogen (non-growing) phase hair – about 40-60%, making estimations of time of ingestion less accurate. A body hair sample is analysed as a whole sample and generally covers between four and 18 months.
Segmented month by month analysis is unable to be obtained with body hair.
Note: body hair samples for the analysis of alcohol markers can only be obtained from either the chest, arm or leg region of the body.
Importance of metabolites
Metabolites are substances produced by the body when a drug is taken. The presence of metabolites can provide an indication of actual drug use as opposed to an association with the drug. For example, when testing for cannabis, it is imperative to look for the metabolite 11 nor-delta9-thc-9-carboxylic acid.
Why choose Lextox?
We have a team of dedicated client managers, ready to advise you on testing options, sample collections, pricing and much more. Our client managers provide a hassle-free, fully managed service from the moment you instruct us so you can devote more time to your casework. It’s like having an extra member of your team.
The only item you need on your check list is a Lextox client manager.
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