Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as a potent means for uncovering alcohol and drug consumption. The strands of hair, during their lifetime, trap biomarkers within the growing fibers, providing a chronicled history of substance use. When collected near the scalp, hair offers insight into up to a three-month detection period for substances. Gathering hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and effortless to transport.
A 1.5-inch hair specimen consisting of around 200 strands (comparable to the size of a #2 pencil) located nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal amount for both screening and subsequent confirmation. For EtG enhancements, and/or assessments exceeding 10 panels, a specimen weight of 150mg is advised. It's recommended to weigh the specimen using a jeweler’s scale. Should scalp hair be unavailable, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be used. Reference to head hair pertains strictly to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses any other forms of hair (e.g., facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Summary
There are four principal stages in the lab processing of drug test outcomes: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the preliminary processing of a sample into a lab’s system. This phase includes confirming the proper sealing and shipping of the specimen, the allocation of a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any supplementary data inputs absent in an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is an initial rapid assessment for drugs of abuse. Although Screening is a cost-efficient approach to exclude drug consumption in most cases, a positive result mandates confirmation to hold up in legal proceedings. Any samples presumed positive during Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.
Upon the event a sample is suspected positive during Screening, more hair is extracted from the initial batch and prepped for Extraction. At this juncture, drugs are isolated from the hair at markedly lower concentrations than with other methodologies (e.g., urine or oral fluid), underscoring the complexity of hair drug analysis.
Every positive screened result is validated through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods. Presumptively positive samples undergo washing prior to validation as necessary. The complete laboratory journey from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized in accordance with the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Although commonly labeled as "hair follicle tests", the examination is conducted on the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
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