In Middlesborough, Kentucky, Accredited Drug Testing offers comprehensive hair follicle drug testing. If you're in need of a hair drug or alcohol assessment, Accredited Drug Testing is proficient in this area, boasting testing locations across the nation that provide hair tests. Typically, hair lengths between 1.5 to 2 inches are required, whether on the head or body. Hair tests can evaluate for drugs, alcohol/ETG, or other specialized options.
Recently, hair follicle drug testing has gained prominence as a preferred method. Employers, legal entities, and substance abuse experts now often opt for hair drug tests over traditional urine tests. This method is chosen by zero-tolerance employers, courts, and individuals on probation due to its extensive detection timeframe, up to 90 days, and its rigorous collection process, deterring any attempt of tampering. Nonetheless, for drug screenings within the last five days, urine tests remain the most precise option.
* 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 method for detecting drug and alcohol use. Hair offers a long-term history of substance use by capturing biomarkers in the growing hair strands. When collected near the scalp, hair can offer a detection period of up to around 3 months for alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment consisting of roughly 200 hair strands (around the thickness of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp can yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal amount for screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of hair is advisable. It's suggested to weigh the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not available, an equivalent amount of body hair can be used. When mentioning head hair, it specifically refers to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary steps in processing a drug test result in the laboratory include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the initial step of incorporating a sample into the laboratory system. This involves ensuring the sample was correctly sealed and shipped, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data input not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening provides an initial rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. While this is a cost-effective method for eliminating drug use in the majority of samples, a positive screen must be confirmed for court admissibility. Any samples showing a presumptive positive in Screening must undergo further confirmation.
When a sample tests presumptively positive in Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample for the Extraction process. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most challenging methodology to conduct.
Confirmation of any positive screening results is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positive results are cleansed before confirmation, if necessary. The entire lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is performed under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and aligned with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly termed "hair follicle tests", the test actually examines the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Middlesborough, KY
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