Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Regarded as a formidable method, hair testing aids in uncovering drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers a detailed historical record of alcohol and other substances as biomarkers are embedded within the fibers of the growing strand. When hair is sampled near the scalp, it can reveal substance use data for up to three months. The collection process for hair is straightforward, not easily tampered with, and it ships without hassle.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches, comprising around 200 hair strands (roughly equating to a #2 pencil thickness) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is optimal for both screening and verification purposes. For EtG, supplementary, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is suggested. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample is advisable. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent amount of body hair can be utilized. When stipulating head hair, it specifically denotes scalp hair. Body hair encompasses other types of hair (e.g., facial, axillary, etc.).
Procedure Overview
The principal stages within a lab's processing to determine a drug test outcome include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the preliminary step for recording a sample into a lab's framework. This step involves ascertaining the sample's proper sealing and shipping, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any supplementary data entries not facilitated by an electronic chain of custody system.
During Screening, a swift preliminary evaluation for substances of abuse occurs. Though Screening efficiently excludes drug usage in most samples, a positive finding necessitates confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples marked presumptively positive during Screening mandate a follow-up confirmation.
For samples found presumptively positive during the Screening phase, additional hair from the original sample is extracted for the Extraction process. Here, drugs are isolated from hair at lesser concentrations compared to other procedures (e.g., urine or oral fluid), establishing hair drug screening as the most challenging technique to execute.
Verification of any positive screening outcomes is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Prior to verification, all presumptive positive samples undergo washing as required. From Accessioning to Confirmation, the entire laboratory operation undergoes scrutiny under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Although commonly termed "hair follicle tests," the test in reality analyzes the hair strand, not the scalp's hair follicle.
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