Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair assays are widely recognized as an effective mechanism for detecting substance and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged history of alcohol and other substances by embedding biomarkers in the fibers of the growing strand. When collected near the scalp, the hair offers nearly a 3-month range for detecting alcohol and other substances. It is straightforward to collect, somewhat hard to tamper, and easy to transport.
A 1.5-inch section of roughly 200 hair strands (approximately the circumference of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg, the prime amount for assessment and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or evaluations exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the specimen is suggested. We advise measuring the specimen on a jeweler's scale. If scalp hair isn't available, a comparable amount of body hair can be used. When referring to head hair, we specifically mean scalp hair only. Body hair encompasses all other hair varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).
Overview of the Process
The four primary stages in the lab analysis of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the initial processing of a sample into the laboratory’s system. This comprises verifying the sample was adequately sealed and dispatched, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening involves a preliminary rapid examination for substances of abuse. While Screening is an economical method to exclude drug use in most samples, a positive screen requires confirmation to be valid in court. Any samples presumptively positive in Screening need additional confirmation.
Should a sample be presumptively positive in the Screening phase, more hair is extracted from the original specimen to prepare for Extraction. In this segment, substances are extracted from hair at significantly lower concentrations than other methods (ex. urine or oral fluid), thus making hair drug screening the most challenging method to conduct.
Confirmation of any positive screen result occurs via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as necessary. The entire lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Although known as "hair follicle tests", the analysis is performed on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Deville, LA
Extended Detection Window in Deville, LA
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Deville, LA
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Simple, Confidential Process in Deville, LA
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