Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
The use of hair testing has gained recognition as a robust method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair can provide an extended timeline of alcohol and drug presence, as it captures biomarkers within the fibers of an expanding hair strand. With samples taken near the scalp, hair can reveal drug and alcohol use over a span of nearly three months. Collection of hair is straightforward, harder to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
Collecting a sample of 1.5-inch length from around 200 hair strands (roughly equal to a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg, which is the standard amount for testing and verification. For assessments such as EtG, additional checks, or more comprehensive tests exceeding 10 panels, a collection of 150mg is advisable. It's suggested to measure the hair sample using a jeweler’s scale. In cases where scalp hair is not available, a comparable quantity of body hair can be collected. When discussing head hair, we specifically mean scalp hair; body hair encompasses all other forms (e.g., facial, axillary).
Process Overview
The primary four stages in the lab analysis of a drug test include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the initial step of integrating a sample into a laboratory's database. It involves ensuring the sample's seal and shipment are intact, assigning a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number) randomly, and completing any other data inputs missing from an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is a preliminary, rapid check for drug substances. Although Screening is an economical approach to dismiss drug use in most samples, a confirmed positive result is required for court admission. Samples that show a presumptive positive in Screening necessitate further confirmation.
Should a sample indicate a presumptive positive at the Screening phase, further hair is taken from the primary sample for Extraction. During this step, drugs are separated from hair at much lower concentrations compared to other methods (such as urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug screening one of the most challenging practices to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screen result utilizes GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods. All samples presumptively positive are cleaned before proceeding to confirmation as necessary. The entire lab procedure, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite often being called "hair follicle tests," the test actually examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in White Hall, IL
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