Recent scientific developments in hair strand testing and racial bias in current practices of hair strand testing

Forensic Testing Service (FTS) were delighted to be asked to support Sarah Branson, accomplished Family Barrister from Coram Chambers, London,  in developing her latest, very interesting article focusing on racial bias in some practices of hair strand testing. The article was originally published in Family Law in June 2023.

This article explores the recent academic research into this evolving scientific field and highlights areas where caution must be exercised in drawing definitive conclusions. It demonstrates that in many cases the standardised use of cut off levels used for interpretation and reporting hair strand testing, employed by the majority of testing companies, creates a racial bias and therefore caution must always be exercised when results are presented as ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.

Read the full article here