Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Recognized as a crucial utility, hair testing serves in identifying drug and alcohol consumption. The hair strand captures biomarkers within its fibers, offering a prolonged overview of substance use. When sourced near the scalp, hair reveals an estimated 3-month timeline for detecting alcohol and drugs. Its collection is straightforward, less prone to tampering, and hassle-free to transport.
A sample of 1.5 inches comprising around 200 hair strands (approximating the size of a #2 pencil) near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, deemed ideal for screening and validation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or beyond 10-panel tests, a specimen of 150mg is advised. It's best to measure the sample on a jeweler’s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, an equal amount of body hair can be utilized. When mentioning head hair, it specifically means scalp hair; body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The four primary stages in laboratory processing of drug test results include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
During Accessioning, the sample enters the laboratory's system for initial processing. This process ensures the sample's proper sealing and shipment, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and accommodates any supplementary data entry absent from an electronic custody chain.
Screening provides an initial rapid assessment for substance misuse. Though cost-effective in eliminating drug use in most samples, a positive screen necessitates confirmation to be court-admissible. Any samples flagged as presumptively positive during Screening require further confirmation.
Should a sample appear positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial specimen for Extraction. In this phase, substances are retrieved from hair at significantly reduced concentration levels compared to other methods (like urine or oral fluid), attributing to the complexity of hair drug screening.
To confirm any positive screening results, methods like GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS are utilized. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation when necessary. The complete laboratory process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is evaluated under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation, as well as the ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Commonly dubbed as "hair follicle tests", the examination is of the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Libertyville, AL
Extended Detection Window in Libertyville, AL
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Libertyville, AL
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Libertyville, AL
Simple, Confidential Process in Libertyville, AL
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Libertyville, AL
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Libertyville, AL
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Libertyville, AL