Accredited Drug Testing provides thorough hair follicle drug testing services in Cumberland, Kentucky. For individuals needing a hair or alcohol test, we specialize in hair assessments and have locations across all cities Nationwide to accommodate testing needs. Typically, 1.5 to 2 inches of head or body hair is required for a test. Hair tests allow for analysis of drugs, alcohol/ETG, or other custom testing options.
In recent times, hair follicle drug tests have become a more common method for conducting drug testing. Many organizations, judicial systems, and substance abuse experts now prefer hair drug tests over traditional urine tests. Hair follicle tests are favored by employers with strict drug policies, courts, and probation officers. The main advantage of hair follicle testing is its extended detection window of up to 90 days, observing collection ensures accuracy and is hard to manipulate. Nonetheless, urine tests remain the go-to for identifying very recent drug use within 5 days.
* You must register by phone or online to receive your donor pass/registration prior to proceeding to the testing center. You must bring a valid government issued ID along with the registration/barcode number which was sent to you by email.
When you're searching for hair drug testing near me or hair drug testing locations, we provide a simple and convenient process to find a drug and alcohol testing location near you that is certified to provide all of your drug and alcohol testing needs.
Hair testing is increasingly recognized as an effective means for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a long-term record of drug and alcohol use by embedding biomarkers in the fibers of the growing hair strand. When taken near the scalp, hair can offer a detection period of roughly up to 3 months for alcohol and other drugs. Collecting hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A 1.5-inch section of approximately 200 hair strands (about the width of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the preferred sample amount for screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, a specimen of 150mg is suggested. It is advisable to weigh the specimen with a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not available, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be collected. References to head hair pertain solely to scalp hair. Body hair denotes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of drug test results is comprised of four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the initial integration of a sample into a laboratory’s system. This step ensures the sample was properly sealed and shipped, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and fulfills any additional data entry necessary in the absence of an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening performs an initial swift evaluation for substances of abuse. While Screening is a cost-efficient method to eliminate drug usage in the majority of cases, a positive screen must be substantiated for legal admissibility. Any samples that return a presumptive positive in Screening need a secondary corroboration.
If a sample yields a presumptive positive in the Screening step, further hair is extracted from the original specimen and readied for Extraction. In this phase, substances are drawn from hair at a substantially lower concentration relative to other methods (like urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug screening the most challenging technique to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is carried out using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo a wash prior to confirmation when necessary. The full laboratory process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is examined 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 dubbed as "hair follicle tests", the test evaluates the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing
Extended Detection Window
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations
Simple, Confidential Process
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Cumberland, KY
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers
