Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair examination is increasingly recognized as a robust method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair retains a comprehensive record of alcohol and other substances by encapsulating biomarkers within the hair strand's fibers. When acquired near the scalp, hair can reveal up to a 3-month detection window for both alcohol and drugs. Hair is straightforward to gather, relatively challenging to tamper with, and simple to send.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches and consisting of roughly 200 hair strands (roughly the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, the optimal amount for testing and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advisable. We suggest measuring the sample with a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not present, a comparable quantity of body hair is an acceptable substitute. When mentioning head hair, it pertains exclusively to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary phases involved in laboratory processing for drug test results include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the initial incorporation of a sample into a laboratory's system. This step ensures the sample is properly sealed and shipped, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any extra data input not available through an electronic chain of custody framework.
Screening executes a swift initial examination for drug abuse. While Screening is economical for eliminating drug usage in most samples, a confirmed positive screen is necessary for court admissibility. Samples with a presumptive positive result in Screening require a further confirmation stage.
If the sample shows a presumptive positive outcome during Screening, additional hair is drawn from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. In this process, drugs are isolated from hair at a lower concentration compared to other systems (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which explains why hair drug screening is the most complex method to carry out.
Any positive screening result undergoes Confirmation through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive specimens are cleansed before confirmation when needed. The entire laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and adheres to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly described as "hair follicle tests", the analysis actually examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Mattoxtown, KY
Extended Detection Window in Mattoxtown, KY
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Mattoxtown, KY
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Mattoxtown, KY
Simple, Confidential Process in Mattoxtown, KY
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Mattoxtown, KY
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Mattoxtown, KY
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Mattoxtown, KY