Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has become a recognized method for identifying drug and alcohol usage. Hair offers a prolonged record of alcohol and drug intake by embedding biomarkers in the strands of the growing hair. When sampled close to the scalp, hair can yield up to a 3-month window for detecting alcohol and drugs. Hair retrieval is straightforward, reasonably resistant to tampering, and convenient for shipping.
A 1.5-inch segment consisting of approximately 200 strands of hair (roughly the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp supplies 100mg of hair, which is the ideal quantity for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or assessments exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advised. It is suggested to weigh the specimen using a jeweler’s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent volume of body hair can be harvested. When we talk about head hair, we refer specifically to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
There are four critical stages in the lab processing of a drug test result: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning encompasses the initial handling of a sample within a laboratory's system. This step ensures the sample was appropriately sealed and shipped, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any additional data required beyond what an electronic chain of custody system provides.
Screening provides a preliminary assessment for drugs of abuse. Although Screening offers a cost-efficient means to dismiss drug usage across many samples, a positive screening necessitates confirmation to be valid in legal contexts. Any samples testing presumptive positive during Screening must undergo a secondary confirmation process.
When a sample shows a presumptive positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and prepped for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are separated from hair at a significantly lower concentration than with other methods (like urine or saliva), making hair drug screening a highly complex methodology to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screen result is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS analysis. All samples deemed presumptively positive undergo preconfirmation washing as necessary. The comprehensive lab process from Accessioning through Confirmation adheres both to the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation standards of ISO / IEC 17025.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although typically described as "hair follicle tests", the assessment is performed on the hair strands and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
In Painted Hills, IN, hair follicle testing surpasses urine testing because:
Hair follicle testing in Painted Hills, IN, excels with its extended detection window:
In Painted Hills, IN, hair follicle tests are the choice for tamper-resistant testing methods:
For those in Painted Hills, IN, nationwide testing locations offer convenience:
In Painted Hills, IN, the hair follicle testing process is simple and confidential:
For companies in Painted Hills, IN, affordable pricing and fast turnaround times make hair follicle testing a great choice:
The accuracy and swiftness of hair follicle drug tests make them indispensable in Painted Hills, IN.
Employers in Painted Hills, IN, gain compliance and peace of mind through hair follicle testing: