OPAM Workshop: Medical Review Officer Training Course: Toxicology Testing and the MRO, A Physician's Role in the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse-285274

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The presentation provides an extensive overview of hair testing for drugs, comparing it with other drug testing matrices like urine and oral fluid. Hair testing, a method used since the 1980s, is valued for its ability to detect repetitive drug use over a 90-day period and is considered non-invasive compared to urine and oral fluid tests. Hair's complex composition and its growth cycle stages affect drug concentration, requiring multiple strands for homogeneity. While hair testing offers a broader detection window, it doesn’t effectively detect recent drug use, making it unsuitable for certain applications like post-accident testing.<br /><br />A significant discussion focuses on potential racial and hair color biases, with studies suggesting pigmented hair may have a greater capacity to incorporate certain drugs. However, large-scale studies have indicated that differences in drug test results between ethnic groups may be more related to drug use patterns rather than inherent biases.<br /><br />Environmental contamination in hair testing remains a contentious issue, especially concerning cocaine. Current methodologies, including washing procedures and unique metabolite testing, aim to address this, but the issue is not fully resolved.<br /><br />The session also touched on the challenges and potential of point-of-collection testing devices and the concept of an Instrumented Initial Test Facility (IITF).

Keywords

hair testing

drug detection

racial bias

environmental contamination

point-of-collection testing

Instrumented Initial Test Facility

urine and oral fluid comparison

cocaine contamination