Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis is viewed as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. The hair stores a comprehensive record of alcohol and other substances due to biomarkers being embedded in the hair shaft during its growth. When collected close to the scalp, hair can reveal usage of substances for up to three months. Hair collection is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A hair sample of 1.5 inches, consisting of roughly 200 strands (comparable to a #2 pencil), near the scalp, yields 100mg which is optimal for analysis and verification. For EtG, add-ons, and tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of hair is preferable. We advise using a jeweler’s scale for accurate measurement. Should scalp hair be inaccessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair is acceptable. Reference to head hair implies scalp hair whereas body hair encompasses alternate hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary procedures in laboratory drug test processing include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning refers to the preliminary sample processing when it enters the lab system. This step involves validating proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number) randomly, and entering any missing data not captured by an electronic custody system.
Screening offers a primary, rapid check for drugs. Although cost-effective for eliminating drug usage in most samples, a positive result here requires confirmation to be court-worthy. Any samples with a presumptive positive outcome in Screening need secondary verification.
Upon a presumptive positive in Screening, additional hair is sourced from the initial sample to prepare for Extraction. In this step, drugs are extracted from hair at a much lower concentration than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluids), a factor contributing to hair testing being the most complex technique to execute.
Positive screening confirmations are achieved through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS. All samples showing presumptive positives undergo a cleaning process before confirmation. The entire procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair criteria and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditations.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the procedure examines the hair shaft rather than the scalp's hair follicle.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Stockton, KS
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Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Stockton, KS
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