Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has gained recognition as an effective approach to identify drug and alcohol consumption. It offers a prolonged record of alcohol and drug use by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of a developing hair strand. When collected near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window of up to around 3 months for alcohol and drugs. Hair can be easily collected, is somewhat challenging to tamper with, and is convenient to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment of approximately 200 hair strands (roughly the thickness of a #2 pencil) close to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the optimal sample for initial screening and verification. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests that exceed 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advised. It's recommended to measure the specimen using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not accessible, a comparable amount of body hair can be used. When we mention head hair, we denote scalp hair exclusively. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Overview of the Process
There are four principal stages in laboratory processing of a drug testing result: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the initial handling of a sample into a laboratory’s system. It includes confirming that the sample was securely sealed and dispatched, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any extra data entry not supplied by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening consists of a preliminary rapid assessment for substance abuse. Although Screening offers a cost-efficient method to dismiss drug use in most samples, a screen showing positive results requires confirmation to hold validity in court. All samples that yield presumptive positives during Screening necessitate subsequent confirmation.
In instances where a sample tests presumptively positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen and readied for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are stripped from the hair at considerably lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), hence, hair drug screening is the most complex method to conduct.
Verification of any positive screening result is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Every presumptive positive sample undergoes cleaning before confirmation as required. The comprehensive laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under the standards of both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 certification standards.
Benefits of hair drug tests:
Drawbacks:
Note: Although commonly referred to as "hair follicle tests," the assessment actually examines the hair strand rather than the hair follicle beneath the scalp.
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