Accredited Drug Testing offers extensive hair follicle drug assessments in West Contra Costa, California. Our facilities are widespread across the nation, allowing easy access for hair drug and alcohol testing. For a typical hair test, at least 1.5 to 2 inches of hair is needed from the scalp area. Hair testing accommodates detection of various substances, including drugs and alcohol, with specialized options available.
The popularity of hair follicle drug testing has increased significantly recently. Organizations, legal entities, and addiction counselors increasingly prefer hair tests over traditional urine assessments. Hair follicle testing is favored by firms maintaining strict no-drug policies, judicial systems, and those under probation. Its key advantage is a far longer detection window for substance usage, typically covering up to 90 days, with an observed collection process, making it nearly impossible to tamper with. Yet, for identifying recent drug use within five days, urine tests remain the most accurate choice.
* 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 now acknowledged as a robust method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. This technique offers a lengthy record of alcohol and drug usage by embedding biomarkers within the strands of growing hair. When taken near the scalp, it offers a detection window of up to about three months for both alcohol and drugs. The collection process for hair is straightforward; it's somewhat resistant to tampering and is convenient to transport.
Obtaining a 1.5-inch sample of roughly 200 hair strands (about the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp produces 100mg of hair, which is the optimal quantity for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, it's advisable to collect 150mg of the sample. We suggest measuring the sample with a jeweler’s scale. In the event scalp hair is not available, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be collected. When we reference head hair, it pertains solely to scalp hair. Body hair denotes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
There are four primary steps in the lab processing of a drug test result: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the initial phase of integrating a sample into a lab’s system. This step verifies that the sample was correctly sealed and sent, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any additional data input not handled by an electronic chain of custody.
Screening is a preliminary rapid assessment for drugs of misuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient way to rule out drug use in most samples, any positive screen needs to be validated to be admissible in a court setting. Any samples that return a presumptive positive result in Screening necessitate an additional confirmation.
Should a sample test presumptively positive in the Screening stage, additional hair is retrieved from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug screening the most challenging method to execute.
Positive screening results are confirmed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples that test presumptive positive are washed before confirmation as needed. Every step in the laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized according to both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation of ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite often being called "hair follicle tests", the test targets the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in West Contra Costa, CA demonstrates its advantages. Hair tests surpass traditional urine screenings by offering reliable detection and superior accuracy.
Extended Detection Window in West Contra Costa, CA provides a broader assessment period. Hair testing offers insight up to 90 days, offering a thorough view of drug use history.
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in West Contra Costa, CA showcases its practicality. Hair tests greatly reduce risks of sample tampering, yielding dependable, unquestionable results.
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations including West Contra Costa, CA stress accessibility. Our widespread centers offer swift, efficient access to drug testing services.
Simple, Confidential Process in West Contra Costa, CA makes it user-friendly. The process from ordering to results delivery prioritizes simplicity and privacy.
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in West Contra Costa, CA guarantee value. Competitive costs and rapid result times offer peace of mind and economic advantages for businesses of any size.
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in West Contra Costa, CA highlight the precision of hair follicle drug tests. These tests provide quick and exact detection, ensuring substances are accurately identified within the user's system.
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in West Contra Costa, CA revolve around adhering to zero-tolerance policies. Hair follicle testing supports regulatory compliance and promotes a safer work environment.
