Accredited Drug Testing offers comprehensive hair follicle drug screening services in Lake Los Angeles, California. If you're seeking a hair drug or alcohol test, our specialty lies in hair testing with numerous centers nationwide equipped for these tests. Typically, 1.5 to 2 inches of hair from the head or body is required. Hair testing can assess drugs, alcohol/ETG, or other personalized testing needs.
Recently, hair follicle drug testing has gained favor in drug testing protocols. Employers, courts, and Substance Abuse professionals now prefer hair tests over traditional urine tests. Hair follicle tests support zero-tolerance drug policies and probation monitoring. The key advantage of hair follicle tests is their extended detection time of up to 90 days. The collection is supervised, making it highly resistant to tampering, while urine tests remain most effective for recent drug use detection within 5 days.
* You must register by phone or online to receive your donor pass/registration prior to proceeding to the testing center. You must bring a valid government issued ID along with the registration/barcode number which was sent to you by email.
When you're searching for hair drug testing near me or hair drug testing locations, we provide a simple and convenient process to find a drug and alcohol testing location near you that is certified to provide all of your drug and alcohol testing needs.
Hair testing is recognized as an effective method for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair holds a prolonged record of alcohol and drug use by encapsulating biomarkers in its growing strands. When obtained close to the scalp, hair can offer up to a three-month timeframe for alcohol and drug detection. Hair is easy to collect, hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A sample of about 1.5 inches and roughly 200 hair strands (approximately the width of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is the standard sample size for screening and verification. For EtG tests, add-ons, or analyses exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advised. We suggest measuring the specimen with a jeweler’s scale. If head hair is unavailable, a comparable amount of body hair is an alternative. When discussing head hair, we mean solely scalp hair, whereas body hair encompasses all other types of hair (such as facial or axillary hair).
Process Overview
The key stages of processing a drug test in the lab are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the preliminary handling of a sample upon entry into a laboratory's system. This step verifies proper sample sealing and shipment, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any missing data that's not handled by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening consists of a rapid check for drug abuse substances. Although it's a cost-efficient method to exclude drug presence in most samples, a confirmed positive screen is necessary for court validity. Samples showing presumptive positives in Screening mandate further verification.
Should a sample be flagged presumptively positive during Screening, additional hair is prepared from the original sample for Extraction. During Extraction, drugs are isolated from hair in significantly lower concentrations than in methodologies like urine or oral fluids, which makes hair drug screening particularly challenging.
Confirmation of any positive screen is carried out using techniques such as GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples undergo washing before the confirmation step if required. The full lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is conducted under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair guidelines and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite the term "hair follicle tests", the testing process examines the hair strand rather than the follicle itself.
Hair follicle testing in Lake Los Angeles, CA, offers several benefits over traditional urine tests. One of the key advantages is the superior detection accuracy and reliability. Unlike urine tests, hair tests detect drug use over a longer period, providing a comprehensive view of an individual's substance use history.
Moreover, hair tests are collected in an observed process and are challenging to falsify, ensuring more credible results. Employers find this especially beneficial for maintaining a drug-free workplace policy more effectively than relying solely on urine tests.
In Lake Los Angeles, CA, hair follicle testing showcases an extended detection window, reaching up to 90 days. This duration offers employers a broader view into a person's drug history, a feature that urine tests lack.
By exploring a longer time frame, hair tests grant a comprehensive perspective of a potential employee’s substance use history, assisting employers in making informed hiring decisions. This advantage can significantly enhance workplace safety and policy compliance.
Hair follicle testing in Lake Los Angeles, CA, provides a tamper-resistant method of drug testing. As opposed to other methods, which can be manipulated, hair samples are difficult to adulterate, ensuring reliable results.
This significant feature reassures employers of the authenticity of the test results, minimizing concerns over false negatives or sample manipulation, and upholding the integrity of the testing process.
Convenience is a hallmark of hair follicle testing in Lake Los Angeles, CA, with our nationwide and local testing centers. The widespread locations ensure a seamless, hassle-free access to the testing services required.
This network allows quick and easy scheduling for tests, minimizing disruptions for individuals and companies reaching out for these crucial services.
In Lake Los Angeles, CA, the hair follicle testing process is both simple and confidential. From ordering to obtaining results, the process addresses privacy concerns adeptly, making it user-friendly for all.
This straightforward approach is instrumental in maintaining confidentiality, thus appealing to those wishing for an unobtrusive method of handling sensitive health information while ensuring accuracy.
Lake Los Angeles, CA, presents hair follicle testing with affordable pricing and swift turnaround times. This combination offers companies of all sizes excellent value and peace of mind.
The cost-effectiveness and speed of results ensure businesses can maintain their drug-testing policies without sacrificing financial resources or time, highlighting an efficient approach to workplace safety and compliance.
In Lake Los Angeles, CA, the precision and swiftness of hair follicle drug tests stand out. They provide high accuracy in identifying substance use, influencing employers' trust. The tests capture even trace levels of drugs, corroborating with rapid and reliable results that surpass older methods.
Compared to traditional tests, hair follicle screening offers superior speed. Employers who need quick, dependable drug use identification will value the efficient turnaround results, bolstering workplace integrity.
Employers in Lake Los Angeles, CA, gain peace of mind with hair follicle testing, ensuring compliance with drug-free workplace policies. By choosing hair testing, the risk of legal liabilities is reduced, and workplace safety is enhanced.
The comprehensive detection capabilities of hair tests contribute substantially to maintaining a drug-free workplace, significantly aiding employers to meet their policy objectives and regulatory requirements.
