Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair examinations have emerged as a significant method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers an extended record of substance use by encasing markers within the strands of the developing hair. When taken from the scalp area, hair can reveal up to an approximately 3-month retrospect for substances. Collection of hair is straightforward, somewhat challenging to tamper with, and simple to send.
A segment of 1.5 inches, consisting of about 200 hair strands (approximately the width of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp, will yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal quantity for both preliminary checks and confirmation. For EtG or extended panels beyond 10, 150mg of the hair is advisable. It is suggested to use a jeweler’s scale to measure the hair. If scalp hair isn't accessible, an equivalent amount from body hair can be used. When discussing head hair, it specifically refers to scalp hair. Body hair includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary phases in the laboratory sequence for a drug test outcome include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the initial incorporation of a sample into the laboratory’s framework. This step confirms that the sample was securely sealed and shipped, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any supplementary data entry not available through an electronic chain system.
Screening offers a preliminary swift evaluation for substances. While Screening serves as an economical method to dismiss drug usage in most samples, a positive result must be authenticated to be recognized in legal settings. Samples that appear positive during Screening do require additional validation.
Should a sample be suspected of positivity during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the original sample and set for Extraction. During Extraction, substances are isolated from hair at notably lower levels than in other methods (such as urine or oral fluid), explaining why hair drug screening is considered the most challenging technique.
Verification of any positive Screening outcome is achieved via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All suspected positive samples undergo cleansing before verification if necessary. The comprehensive laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is assessed under CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and ISO / IEC 17025 benchmarks.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often termed as "hair follicle tests", these examinations analyze the hair shaft and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Freedom, ID
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