HAIR & SALIVA TESTING
Forward Edge Associates personnel are trained on performing hair testing when requested by clients.
Advantages of Hair Testing
- Good method to detect past history of use by donor, which can generate additional insight for long term workplace hiring decisions.
- Donors can only avoid test by shaving off all hair.
- Since sample is provided in front of donor, there is no opportunity to provide a substitute specimen.
Disadvantages of Hair Testing.
- Most expensive method of testing due to current laboratory costs.
- Test may be culturally biased, (I.e., coarse hair retains chemicals longer)
- Can only screen for up to five drugs.
- Currently some adulterants in the form of shampoo are becoming available on the market.
- Collector may be required to collect hair from several places, which slows down the collection process as compared to urine testing.
- Donors may complain about collectors creating gapes in the donor’s hair.
- Slower turnaround of results as laboratories analyzing hair require more time.
- For athletic testing, clients may only be interested in current use of drugs, not past or previous use. Urine testing is a better indicator of current ongoing drug use than hair testing.
- Urine testing is more accurate in detecting marijuana use as sometimes known marijuana users will show up as being negative in a hair test.
Advantages of Saliva Testing
- Does not require a urine sample
- Sample given in front of collector so there is less opportunity to substitute or dilute specimen.
- May be a good backup testing vehicle for follow up testing, reasonable suspicion testing, or students that have trouble providing a urine specimen.
Disadvantages of Saliva Testing
- More Expensive than urine testing
- Can only test for five drugs
- Can only identify very recent use of substance (I.e., current or one day prior use)
- Collectors will not be able to test as many students per hour, which will slow down the testing process
- Less legal precedent with saliva testing compared to urine testing.
