Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
The analysis of hair has emerged as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers a comprehensive timeline of alcohol and drug use by embedding biomarkers within the hair shaft. When hair is taken from close to the scalp, it can reveal alcohol and drug usage for a period of up to three months. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and easy to transport.
A 1.5-inch hair segment consisting of about 200 hairs (roughly the dimensions of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, the optimal quantity for testing and validation. For EtG, additional checks, and tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is suggested. Using a jeweler’s scale is advised for weighing the sample. In the absence of scalp hair, a similar quantity of body hair can be gathered. By head hair, we mean exclusively scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other forms (facial, axillary, and so on).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test involves four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning includes the preliminary integration of a sample into a lab’s database. This phase ensures the sample was sealed and transported correctly, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any required data entry not already completed by an electronic custody chain.
Screening serves as a preliminary assessment for drug presence. Screening is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug use in most samples, yet any positive finding here necessitates verification to be legally acceptable. Samples that indicate possible positive results in Screening require further confirmation.
Should a sample show a presumptive positive result during Screening, additional hair is retrieved from the original sample for Extraction. This process removes drugs from hair at much lower levels than other techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug testing particularly challenging.
Verification of any positive preliminary results is achieved through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods. Presumptive positive samples undergo washing as necessary before confirmation. The entire procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is audited under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair categorization and the ISO / IEC 17025 standard accreditation.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", this analysis examines the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
In Rainbow City, AL, hair follicle testing eclipses urine testing due to superior detection accuracy and reliability. Hair tests provide a longer look-back period making them more effective for screening chronic drug use. Unlike urine tests, they are less prone to evasion tactics, offering peace of mind with their rigorous examination process.
Featuring an extended detection window of up to 90 days, hair follicle tests in Rainbow City, AL, stand out. These tests give employers a comprehensive view of an individual's substance use history, allowing for informed decisions in hiring and retention processes. The lengthy detection period supports a thorough assessment of past drug use.
The tamper-resistant nature of hair follicle tests in Rainbow City, AL, significantly reduces risks of adulteration. Providing reliable and unquestionable results, these tests remain immune to common cheating methods, enabling employers to trust the outcomes and make informed decisions without doubts about sample integrity.
Benefiting from convenient nationwide testing locations, including those in Rainbow City, AL, hair follicle testing provides quick, easy, and hassle-free services. With a wide array of testing centers, individuals and businesses can access needed services without travel concerns, ensuring efficient service delivery.
Rainbow City, AL, hair follicle tests offer a simple and confidential process for ordering and obtaining results. By addressing privacy concerns, the process remains straightforward, ensuring individuals and employers navigate testing processes with ease and assurance regarding their confidentiality.
With affordable pricing and fast turnaround times, Rainbow City, AL, hair follicle tests deliver excellent value. Competitive pricing structures cater to companies of all sizes, ensuring peace of mind without compromising on quality and speed of service, making it an advantageous choice for businesses.
Hair follicle tests are known for their fast, accurate, and reliable results in Rainbow City, AL. These tests offer high precision, swiftly detecting substance use with impressive accuracy. The robustness of hair tests in identifying drug use ensures that both employers and individuals receive trustworthy information about substance histories.
Hair follicle testing in Rainbow City, AL, offers compliance and peace of mind for employers. By ensuring adherence to drug-free workplace policies, these tests mitigate legal risks and enhance workplace safety. Companies can confidently rely on hair testing to meet compliance requirements and protect their work environments.
