Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is regarded as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol use. Hair can reveal a prolonged timeline of alcohol and drug consumption by securing biomarkers within the strands of the growing hair. When it is collected near the scalp, hair can present a detection timeframe of up to about three months for alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to collect, relatively hard to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches with roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to the diameter of a #2 pencil) close to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is ideal for both screening and confirmation tests. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests beyond 10 panels, it is advisable to have 150mg of the sample. We propose weighing the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair cannot be obtained, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be used. "Head hair" refers specifically to scalp hair, while "body hair" includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result spans four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the initial step of integrating a sample into the laboratory’s system. This step involves confirming that the sample was correctly sealed and delivered, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any other data entry that is not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening consists of a preliminary rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. Screening is an economical approach to exclude drug use for most samples; however, any positive screen must be confirmed to be deemed acceptable in court. Samples that test presumptively positive in Screening require a subsequent confirmation.
If a sample returns a presumptive positive result during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial specimen and prepared for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair in lower concentrations compared to other methodologies (such as urine or oral fluid); hence, hair drug screening is the most challenging methodology to execute.
Confirmation of a positive screening result is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods. Presumptive positive samples are washed prior to confirmation as necessary. The entire laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often called "hair follicle tests," the analysis pertains to the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Hair follicle testing surpasses traditional urine tests in Clearwater, KS due to several factors:
Hair analysis excels in accuracy and resistance to tampering, while a urine test might miss such reliable outcomes. This positions hair testing as an ideal solution in varied situations.
The extended detection window of hair follicle tests sets them apart in Clearwater, KS.
In Clearwater, KS, hair follicle tests offer a tamper-resistant method, drastically reducing the risk of sample alteration.
With convenient nationwide testing centers, including Clearwater, KS, Accredited Drug Testing ensures:
In Clearwater, KS, Accredited Drug Testing offers a simple and confidential process.
Accredited Drug Testing presents affordable pricing and fast turnaround times, advantageous for Clearwater, KS businesses.
In Clearwater, KS, hair follicle drug testing guarantees fast, accurate, and reliable results.
Accuracy is a hallmark of hair follicle testing, delivering highly reliable outcomes. This ensures that results hold up under scrutiny, maintaining their validity in any scenario.
Employers in Clearwater, KS benefit from hair follicle testing to ensure compliance and promote a drug-free workplace.
