Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair assessment is now recognized as a significant method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. By capturing biomarkers within the fibers, hair strands offer an extended overview of alcohol and drug use. When clipped near the scalp, hair can present about a 3-month detection timeframe for these substances. Hair collection is straightforward, relatively hard to tamper with, and convenient for transport.
Obtaining a 1.5-inch segment of roughly 200 hair strands (about #2 pencil thick) from the scalp provides 100mg, the optimal quantity for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding 10, a collection of 150mg is advisable. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for weighing the specimen is recommended. If scalp hair is not available, a comparable amount of body hair can be used. When discussing head hair, it refers solely to scalp hair. Conversely, body hair includes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary stages within the laboratory analysis of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
During Accessioning, the initial sample is processed into the lab’s system. This step confirms the sample’s proper sealing and shipping, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any missing data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening constitutes an initial swift assessment for drug misuse. While an affordable means to dismiss drug usage in most samples, a positive screen requires verification to be legally valid. Any Screening samples with presumptive positives require further confirmation.
If Screening yields a presumptive positive, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and prepared for Extraction. At this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which explains the complexity of hair drug screening.
Positive screening results are confirmed using techniques like GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Any preliminary positive samples undergo washing prior to confirmation as required. The entire laboratory procedure from Accessioning through Confirmation is examined following both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair criteria and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Often named "hair follicle tests", the test evaluates the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp
The Advantages of Hair Testing Over Urine in Cannondale, CT
Extended Detection Window: Hair Testing in Cannondale, CT
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Nationwide and Local Testing Convenience in Cannondale, CT
Simple and Confidential Drug Testing in Cannondale, CT
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Precision and Speed: Hair Follicle Testing in Cannondale, CT
Ensuring Compliance with Hair Follicle Testing in Cannondale, CT