Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis is recognized as a robust method for identifying the use of drugs and alcohol. Hair strands provide an extended history of drug and alcohol consumption by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the growing strand. When gathered near the scalp, hair can offer up to an approximate three-month period of detection for alcohol and other substances. Collecting hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A 1.5-inch section of roughly 200 strands (about the size of a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp yields approximately 100mg of hair, which is the optimal sample size for screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. Using a jeweler’s scale is suggested for weighing the sample. If scalp hair is not available, a comparable quantity of body hair may be obtained. The term "head hair" specifically refers to scalp hair only, while "body hair" encompasses all other types of hair (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The key steps in the lab processing of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning comprises the preliminary processing of a sample into the laboratory system. This process involves ensuring proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning a randomized LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing additional data entry if not provided by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is a preliminary check for drugs of abuse. Although Screening offers a cost-efficient means to exclude drug use for most samples, a positive result in Screening requires confirmation for legal admissibility. Samples that are presumptive for drugs during Screening require further confirmation.
For samples presumptively positive at Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial specimen and prepared for Extraction. During this stage, drug compounds are extracted from the hair at a considerably lower concentration than other methods (like urine or oral fluid), which contributes to the complexity of hair drug screening.
Confirmation of any positive result during Screening is achieved through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. Every presumptive positive sample undergoes a washing process prior to confirmation, as necessary. The thorough lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Referred to as "hair follicle tests," the analysis targets the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp.
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