Angelscope DNA Diagnostics is now providing hair drug and alcohol testing to family lawyers and social services. Our services include the provision of Drug and Alcohol analysis and Expert reports for the courts, solicitors and local authorities. Testing is of the highest standards and undertaken in an ISO 17025 UKAS accredited laboratory.
When an individual consumes a drug by ingesting it or smoking it, it enters the blood stream and deposits the waste products from the drug (metabolites) which become incorporated into the hair follicle. As the hair grows, deposits of this trace appear in the hair shaft. It is these trace amounts of drugs and metabolites that are tested to give an accurate picture of the associated drug use and the degrees to which each drug has been used.
We are able to provide very accurate reports because human hair grows at an average of 1 centimetre a month. Unlike urine or swab testing, that only reveal recent drug usage, the hair drug testing will provide a clear time frame of historical drug use.
Drug Usage Overview or Segmentation
- Overview example: On a three month section of hair (3 cm section) you will receive a generalised report that identifies all drug use within that three month period.
- Segmentation: If you require a more detailed report that will identify any drug use trends, we can split the three month section into a report of monthly usage allowing you to see drug use or abstinence over the three months. It may be the case that the patient used drugs in month 1 and 2 but had abstained in month three. This gives a more precise report which is important for legal experts to make informed decisions in these cases.
Hair Alcohol Testing
Just as hair drug testing identifies the metabolites from drug usage, hair alcohol testing can detect alcohol biomarkers. These are FAEE’s ( Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters) and EtG (Ethyl Glucuronide). These markers are produced as an individual consumes alcohol and their presence in the hair can indicate an individual with chronic excessive alcohol consumption. Hair strand testing can be provided in 3 or 6 month windows and both markers should be tested for accuracy. We recommend that this testing is used with Liver function and Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin tests.
