Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is now recognized as a potent method for identifying substance and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged record of substances and alcohol by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of the developing hair strand. When sourced near the scalp, hair can offer up to an approximate 3-month detection period for substances and alcohol. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch sample of roughly 200 hair strands (akin to the size of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the optimal amount for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advised. We suggest weighing the sample on a jeweler’s scale. In cases where scalp hair is not available, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be collected. When mentioning head hair, we specifically refer to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four essential steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the initial handling of a sample in a laboratory’s system. This step involves checking that the sample was properly sealed and transported, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data input not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is a preliminary check for substances of abuse. Although Screening is a cost-effective method to dismiss drug usage in most samples, a positive screen needs validation to be admissible in legal proceedings. Samples that show a presumptive positive in Screening require a subsequent confirmation step.
In cases where a sample shows a presumptive positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original specimen for the Extraction phase. At this point, substances are drawn from hair at a much finer concentration than other techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug screening the most complex methodology to conduct.
Verification of any positive screening result is carried out through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positives are washed as necessary before confirmation. The laboratory process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes review under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and is accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: While commonly called "hair follicle tests", the test actually analyzes the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Paradise, MI
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