Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Utilizing hair testing is recognized as an effective means for identifying alcohol and drug consumption. The fibers within a growing hair strand encapsulate biomarkers, creating a reliable historical record of substance use. When obtained near the scalp, such hair captures drug and alcohol use for about three months. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and easily transported.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches and around 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp equates to 100mg, which is ideal for screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. We suggest weighing the hair sample on a jeweler’s scale. Should scalp hair be inaccessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be sourced. Head hair references imply only scalp hair. Body hair includes all other hair types such as facial or axillary hair.
Process Overview
Within the laboratory, the extraction of a drug test result involves four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
During Accessioning, a specimen is initially integrated into a laboratory system, confirming proper sealing and shipping, generating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and entering additional data not supplied by an electronic chain of custody framework.
Screening provides an initial rapid evaluation for drug presence. Although Screening economically excludes drug use in many samples, confirmatory testing is necessary for legal presentation. Samples suspected to show positive results in Screening require further verification.
If Screening suggests a positive, additional hair is separated from the original sample for Extraction. In this phase, hair undergoes drug extraction at a significantly lower concentration than other approaches like urine or oral fluid analysis, making hair drug testing a complex method.
For any positive Screening outcomes, Confirmation uses GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. Before Confirmation, all suspect positive samples receive a necessary wash. The comprehensive lab procedure, from Accessioning through Confirmation, undergoes CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation review and aligns with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though often termed "hair follicle tests", the test actually analyzes the hair strand, not the hair follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Nunez, GA
Extended Detection Window in Nunez, GA
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Nunez, GA
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