Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as a significant method for uncovering drug and alcohol consumption. By embedding biomarkers within the strands of growing hair, it offers an extended timeline of substance use. When cut close to the scalp, hair can reveal a history of alcohol and other substances up to roughly a 3-month period. It is straightforward to gather, challenging to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment consisting of approximately 200 hair strands (roughly as thick as a #2 pencil) near the scalp provides 100mg, which is the optimal sample size for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding 10, a recommendation of 150mg is preferred. We advise using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. If scalp hair isn't present, a similar quantity of body hair might be used. When we discuss head hair, it's exclusive to scalp hair, whereas body hair includes any other forms (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory procedure for processing a drug test consists of Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the primary processing of a sample into the laboratory’s system. This step ensures the sample's proper sealing and shipment, the allotment of a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and handling any additional data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody platform.
Screening offers an initial rapid check for substances of abuse. While it's a cost-effective method to dismiss drug use in most cases, any positive outcome requires subsequent confirmation to be court-admissible. Samples that test presumptively positive in Screening demand further confirmation.
When Screening indicates a presumptive positive, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. During this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other procedures (such as urine or oral fluids), emphasizing the complexity of hair drug testing methodologies.
Confirmation of any positive Screening outcome is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples deemed presumptive positive undergo necessary washing before confirmation. The end-to-end laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is monitored under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accredited by ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often termed as "hair follicle tests", the analysis examines the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Bush City, KS
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