Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is increasingly recognized as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. The fibers of a growing hair strand encapsulate biomarkers, providing a comprehensive long-term history of substance use. When obtained near the scalp, hair samples can reveal alcohol and drug usage over an approximate three-month period. Hair samples are straightforward to collect, have low susceptibility to tampering, and can be easily mailed.
A 1.5-inch sample comprising roughly 200 hair strands, about the diameter of a #2 pencil, close to the scalp yields roughly 100mg of hair—a perfect quantity for screening and verification. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, a sample size of 150mg is advisable. We suggest weighing samples on a jeweler’s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be used. "Head hair" pertains exclusively to scalp hair, whereas "body hair" encompasses all other hair types, including facial and axillary hair.
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result consists of four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning marks the initial phase, integrating a sample into a lab’s systems. This step includes ensuring the sample was properly sealed and conveyed, generating a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing additional data entries not captured by an electronic chain of custody.
Screening performs an initial preliminary check for the presence of drugs. Although cost-effective for eliminating drug use in most samples, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for legal acceptability. Any samples yielding presumptive positives in Screening require subsequent verification.
Should a sample show presumptive positivity during Screening, further hair is extracted from the initial material for Extraction. In this step, drugs are isolated from hair at much leaner concentrations relative to other methodologies (like urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most complex methodology available.
To validate positive Screening outcomes, confirmation via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS is performed. All samples indicating presumptive positivity undergo washing prior to confirmation as dictated. The complete lab procedure, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes scrutiny under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation alongside conformity with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often labeled as "hair follicle tests", the analysis is conducted on the hair strand itself, not the subscalp follicle.
Why Hair Testing Outperforms Urine Testing in McDonald, KS
Extended Detection Window with Hair Follicle Testing in McDonald, KS
Minimizing Tampering with Hair Tests in McDonald, KS
Convenient Testing Centers in McDonald, KS and Beyond
Simple and Confidential Testing Process in McDonald, KS
Cost-Effective and Fast Turnaround for Hair Testing in McDonald, KS
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Hair Testing in McDonald, KS
Employer Compliance and Assurance with Hair Testing in McDonald, KS