Regardless of the nature of an individual’s industry or environment, an effective wash protocol is necessary to provide assurance that drug positives are the result of actual drug use and not drug exposure.
effective at addressing external contami- nation and drug use3
●
A 2005 scientific study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology dem- onstrated that the wash method used protected against erroneous interpreta- tion of contaminated hair4
●
A 1997 Mieczkowski study published in Forensic Science International assessed undercover narcotics officers’ passive contamination and concluded that the wash protocol provided adequate safe- guards against confusing contamination with ingestion5
Fundamental Wash Available to All Laboratories Te FBI study is extremely important to all hair testing laboratories, as it provides validated proof from a highly-respected third party that the extended wash proce- dure tested by the FBI effectively removes contaminants from people who could be legitimately exposed to drugs in a workplace seting. Te method is published, unpatent- ed, and available to all hair testing labs. Tough the wash protocol identified in the
study requires a significant investment in ex- tra time and expense incurred by the testing laboratory, these extensive measures are put in place to protect the individuals taking the test, and to ensure fair and accurate results.
Effective Wash Protocol Provides Assurance of Results Without a validated wash procedure, there are no safeguards in place to ensure that the reported drug results have not been influenced by contamination, and there is no assurance of fair and accurate reporting. Regardless of the nature of an individual’s industry or environment, an effective wash protocol is necessary to provide assurance that drug positives are the result of actual drug use and not drug exposure.
48 datia focus
Tese developments in the technology
of hair testing coincide with recent closed sessions of the Drug Testing Advisory Board of SAMHSA’s CSAP (Center for Substance Abuse Prevention) to discuss hair testing best practices and data, as well as proposed revisions to the Manda- tory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs6
. Accurately iden-
tifying ingestion of drugs is critical in hair testing, and the FBI’s recent validation of the extended wash procedure helps the hair testing industry answer the challenge of contamination. ❚
Endnotes 1
2014 Morris-Kukoski et al.—Journal of Analytical Toxicology—Analysis of Extensively Washed Hair from Cocaine Users and drug Chemists to Establish New Reporting Criteria (Chemistry Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Division)
2
Psychemedics Corporation—Scientific Articles: 1) Baumgartner W, Hill V. Sample preparation techniques. Forensic Sci Int 1993; 63:121-135.2) Cairns T, Hill V, Schaffer M, Thistle W. Removing and identifying drug contamination in the analysis of human hair. Forensic Sci Int 2004; 145:97-108. 3) Cairns T, Hill V, Schaffer M, Thistle W. Levels of cocaine and its metabolites in washed hair of demonstrated cocaine users and workplace subjects. Forensic Sci Int 2004; 145:175-181.
3
J. Ropero-Miller, P. Stout. Analysis of cocaine analytes in human hair II: evaluation of different hair color and ethnicity types. Final Report to United States Department of Justice, Document No. 234628 at p. 69
4
M. Schaffer, V. Hill, and T. Cairns. Hair analysis for cocaine: the requirement for effective wash procedures and effects of drug concentration and hair porosity in contamination and decontamination. J. Anal. Toxicol. 29: 319-326, 2005
5
T. Mieczkowski. Distinguishing passive contamination from active cocaine consumption: assessing the occupational exposure of narcotics officers to cocaine. Forensic Sci. Int. 84: 87 - 1997
6
Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Register, Vol. 80, No. 8, p.1650. Tuesday, January 13, 2015 / Notice
Jim Dyke is the Corporate Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Psychemedics Corporation, the world’s leading and largest drug testing company using hair
analysis. Jim works with organizations in various industries who are mapping out changes to their drug testing programs to balance the need for both efficiency and effectiveness.
spring 2015
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