Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis is now recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol usage. Hair can record a long-term record of substances by embedding biomarkers within the hair's fibers as it grows. When gathered close to the scalp, hair provides a detection period of up to around 3 months for alcohol and other substances. Hair collection is straightforward, relatively tamper-resistant, and convenient for transport.
Collecting a 1.5-inch segment of roughly 200 hair strands (about the thickness of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the optimal sample for testing and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels over 10, 150mg of hair is preferable. Using a jeweler’s scale to weigh the sample is recommended. If scalp hair can't be collected, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be used. "Head hair" specifically refers to scalp hair, while "body hair" encompasses all other types (facial, underarm, etc.).
Process Overview
The four primary phases in processing a drug test in a lab include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning refers to the initial integration of a sample into a lab's system, ensuring that it was properly sealed and transported, assigning it a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number) randomly, and completing additional data entry that the electronic chain of custody system doesn’t cover.
Screening is a preliminary swift check for substance abuse. Though cost-effective, Screening requires court-admissible confirmation for positive results. Samples with presumptive positive results during Screening need a confirmation follow-up.
Upon a presumptive positive result in Screening, more hair is extracted from the initial sample for further preparation in the Extraction stage. Here, drugs are isolated from hair at much lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or saliva), making hair drug testing the most challenging method to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening is done with GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. All samples that are presumptively positive undergo washing before confirmation as necessary. We examine the comprehensive lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation according to both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair standards and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", this procedure analyzes the hair strand, excluding the under-scalp follicle.
In Garden Grove, CA, hair follicle tests outperform traditional urine screenings due to their superior accuracy. Hair tests provide a longer detection timeline, offering a more reliable reflection of drug usage. The inability to easily tamper with results further ensures the dependability of hair testing compared to urine analyses.
A notable advantage of hair follicle testing is its extended detection window of up to 90 days. In Garden Grove, CA, this allows employers to evaluate an employee's drug use history comprehensively, ensuring a detailed understanding of their substance use over time.
Hair follicle tests in Garden Grove, CA, are inherently resistant to tampering, significantly lowering the risk of sample adulteration. This, in turn, guarantees trustworthy and indisputable results, offering confidence in the integrity of the gathered data.
Offering convenience, our testing centers in Garden Grove, CA, are part of a vast network across the nation. This ensures easy and efficient access to our services, simplifying the testing process and making it accessible to everyone.
In Garden Grove, CA, hair follicle testing is designed to be user-friendly and confidential. The procedure for ordering, collecting, and receiving results is straightforward, addressing privacy concerns and ensuring ease of service use.
Hair follicle testing in Garden Grove, CA, offers competitive pricing and quick turnaround times. Businesses of any size benefit from the value and efficiency provided, ensuring peace of mind through cost-effective and timely services.
The hair follicle testing process is acclaimed for its remarkable speed and precision in detecting drug usage. In Garden Grove, CA, this method stands out for its high accuracy during screenings. It identifies substance use with incredible accuracy, giving clear outcomes that ensure reliability in assessment.
For employers in Garden Grove, CA, hair follicle drug tests ensure adherence to drug-free work policies. This testing method minimizes legal liabilities and bolsters workplace safety, providing assurance and compliance for any organization.
