Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as an effective method for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a long-term record of substance use by embedding biomarkers in the hair strand as it grows. When obtained near the scalp, hair can offer a detection period of up to around 3 months for alcohol and drugs. The collection process is straightforward, tampering is relatively challenging, and shipping is convenient.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches consisting of approximately 200 hair strands (about the thickness of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is optimal for testing and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or panels above 10, 150mg of the hair specimen is suggested. The specimen should ideally be weighed using a jeweler's scale. If scalp hair is unavailable, a similar quantity of body hair may be used. "Head hair" strictly refers to scalp hair, whereas "body hair" includes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory procedure for processing a drug test result consists of four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves the preliminary handling of a sample into the lab’s system. This step verifies that the sample was correctly sealed and shipped, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any additional data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening entails an initial rapid assessment for substances of abuse. Although Screening is cost-effective for discounting drug use in most samples, a positive screen must be substantiated to be legally admissible. Samples presumed positive during Screening need further confirmation.
If a sample shows presumptive positivity at the Screening stage, additional hair is taken from the initial collection and readied for Extraction. Drugs are extracted from hair at a considerably lower concentration compared to other methodologies (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug testing one of the most challenging methodologies to conduct.
Confirmation of a positive Screening result is achieved through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples presumed positive are cleansed before confirmation if necessary. The entire lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite being commonly termed "hair follicle tests," the procedure actually examines the hair strand rather than the follicle below the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Dixie, AR
Extended Detection Window in Dixie, AR
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Dixie, AR
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Dixie, AR
Simple, Confidential Process in Dixie, AR
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Dixie, AR
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Dixie, AR
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Dixie, AR