Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has emerged as a significant method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures extended-term indicators of alcohol and other drugs by embedding biomarkers within the evolving hair strand fibers. If collected close to the scalp, hair samples can reveal up to a 3-month detection period for alcohol and other drugs. Hair collection is uncomplicated, relatively tamper-resistant, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch portion consisting of around 200 hair strands (approximately equivalent to the thickness of a #2 pencil) near the scalp provides 100mg of hair, an ideal amount for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. It is recommended to use a jeweler’s scale to measure the specimen accurately. If scalp hair is unavailable, a similar quantity of body hair may be used. When head hair is mentioned, it specifically refers to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (such as facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result encompasses four main stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves the preliminary processing of a sample into the lab's system. This procedure includes confirming the sample's proper sealing and shipment, generating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data entry absent in an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening consists of an initial rapid assessment for drug abuse indicators. While Screening is a cost-effective strategy to eliminate drug use on most samples, a positive screen must be authenticated for it to hold validity in court. Samples with presumptive positives in Screening necessitate an additional confirmation.
For samples with a presumptive positive in Screening, extra hair is extracted from the original specimen and processed for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are isolated from hair at notably lower concentrations compared to other methods (like urine or oral fluid), making hair drug testing a challenging method to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening finding is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Prior to confirmation, presumptive positive samples undergo washing as necessary. The entire process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes reviews under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation per ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: The term "hair follicle tests" is often used, yet the actual test examines the hair strand instead of the follicle beneath the scalp.
The superior detection accuracy of hair follicle tests in Cypress, CA outshines traditional urine tests.
Advantages include:
Employers in Cypress, CA benefit from hair follicle testing's prolonged detection period, capturing drug use up to 90 days.
Key points:
Cypress, CA relies on the tamper-resistant nature of hair follicle tests for credible results.
Features include:
Convenient testing locations in Cypress, CA with nationwide accessibility streamline the testing process.
Attributes include:
Cypress, CA offers a straightforward, confidential process for hair follicle testing.
Process highlights:
Hair follicle testing in Cypress, CA combines affordable pricing with fast turnaround times.
Key benefits:
In Cypress, CA, hair follicle drug tests provide swift and reliable outcomes. This method excels in accurately identifying substance use with efficiency.
Benefits include:
Employing hair follicle testing in Cypress, CA strengthens drug-free policies, offering employers peace of mind.
Main benefits: