Growth of Hair Testing

We have seen a growth in the number of companies which want to do hair testing for drugs of abuse. The greatest difference between urine and saliva testing methods as compared to hair testing, is the window of detection. Saliva and urine have a window going back to 72 hours, although urine marijuana can be longer based on the THC content of the marijuana ingested, the frequency of use, the age of the donor and the weight of the donor. Hair testing will give you approximately a 90 day history of drug use. For pre-employment testing, hair will give you the best picture of an applicant’s drug use history.

One of the areas where hair testing is becoming very popular is in industries covered by the Department of Transportation. Some people mistakenly believe that if a person is covered by DOT you can only do a urine test that complies with government regulations.  In fact, an employer covered by DOT is required to do a mandated urine test, but they can also do a company required hair test. Companies that have instituted a hair testing policy have seen dramatic reductions in the amount of accidents amongst their drivers. These companies realized that a would-be truck driver only had to lay off drugs for a few days before applying for a job, and they would beat the urine test.

Although, at this time, hair test results are not reportable to the Federal government, companies are realizing the added safety provided to the driving public combined with the reduced number of accidents is worth the cost of an additional test.  Another benefit to the hair test is the number of drugs being tested for.  A traditional urine test will test for Marijuana, Cocaine, PCP, Opiates and Amphetamines.  Recently the DOT mandated this be expanded to include Heroin and Ecstasy.  This still misses the fastest growing area of abuse: prescription drugs, specifically hydrocodone and oxycodone.  Overdose deaths involving these two drugs alone surpassed the total number of overdose deaths of all of the other drugs combined. The hair test includes hydrocodone and oxycodone.

Beyond the pre-employment advantages of the hair test, it is also an excellent tool for random drug testing programs.  The 90-day window of detection provides the greatest deterrent, which is the goal of a random drug testing program.  Using hair in a random drug testing program provides employees with a tool to help them make better choices.  Adults can be subject to the same peer pressure we attribute to teenagers.  Working for a company that has a random drug testing program using hair testing gives the employee an easier time saying no, because they do not want to worry for three months about being called for a random test and possibly losing their job.