Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis is increasingly regarded as a vital method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures long-term evidence of alcohol and drugs by securing biomarkers within the hair fiber. When sourced near the scalp, hair offers nearly a 3-month timeframe for detecting alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is easy, hard to tamper with, and convenient to mail.
Acquiring a 1.5-inch sample of roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil width) near the scalp ensures a 100mg sample, ideal for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and those exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample is suggested. If scalp hair is absent, equivalent body hair can serve as a substitute. When we mention head hair, it specifically means scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (e.g., facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary stages in processing a drug test result in a lab consist of Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
During Accessioning, the sample is initially integrated into the lab's system. This step includes confirming that the sample was properly sealed and shipped, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and filling in any missing data not supplied by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening offers an initial rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. Although Screening is economical for eliminating drug use in most samples, a positive requires confirmation for legal admissibility. Presumptive positives in Screening necessitate secondary verification.
If Screening yields a presumptive positive, hair from the initial sample is retrieved for Extraction. This phase involves extracting drugs from the hair at considerably lower concentrations compared to other techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening one of the most challenging methods to execute.
Positive Screening results are validated via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Pre-confirmation samples generally undergo wash procedures. The entire examination process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes a review aligned with both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although commonly called "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand rather than the hair follicle below the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Reece, KS
Extended Detection Window in Reece, KS
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Reece, KS
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Reece, KS
Simple, Confidential Process in Reece, KS
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Reece, KS
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Reece, KS
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Reece, KS