Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is recognized as an effective means for detecting drug and alcohol use. Hair captures a comprehensive history of substance use by preserving biomarkers within the strands as they grow. Sampling hair closest to the scalp yields a detection period extending to roughly three months for alcohol and drugs. Collection is straightforward, tampering is challenging, and shipping is manageable.
Acquiring a 1.5-inch hair sample containing approximately 200 strands (comparable to the width of a #2 pencil) from the scalp provides 100mg, the optimal quantity for testing and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and tests over 10 panels, 150mg is advisable. It's suggested to utilize a jeweler’s scale for weighing. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent volume of body hair may be used. Scalp hair references head hair exclusively, while body hair includes other varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The drug testing in laboratories involves four critical stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning addresses the initial integration of a sample into a lab’s system. It involves ensuring the sample was properly sealed and dispatched, assigning a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing additional data inputs absent in an electronic custody system.
Screening offers a preliminary assessment for drug presence. This cost-effective method helps to exclude substance use for most samples, but legal admissibility requires confirmation of positive results. Any initial positive findings necessitate a confirmatory test.
Upon a presumptive positive in Screening, a further sample portion is extracted for the Extraction phase. This involves isolating drugs from hair at lower concentration levels than other methods (like urine or oral fluid), highlighting the complexity of hair drug testing.
Confirmation of any preliminary positive findings is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS technology. Presumptive positives undergo washing before confirmation as appropriate. The entire lab procedure, from Accessioning to Confirmation, adheres to both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designations and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often termed "hair follicle tests", the test evaluates the hair strand and not the follicle situated under the scalp.
Hair follicle testing in Lewistown, MT, emerges superior when compared to traditional urine tests. Its primary advantage is the longer detection window, offering a comprehensive view of substance history, which urine tests cannot match.
While urine tests only detect recent usage, hair testing can reveal drug use months back, providing a clearer understanding of one’s patterns. This ability to detect long-term use makes it a more reliable choice for employers and agencies.
The extended detection window of hair follicle testing is a significant advantage in Lewistown, MT. Capable of identifying drug use up to 90 days prior, it offers a detailed insight into an individual's substance use history.
This extensive window is particularly beneficial for employers seeking to understand past behaviors and evaluate risk factors associated with prolonged or unnoticed drug use among applicants or current employees.
Lewistown, MT, benefits from hair follicle tests because they are resistant to tampering and adulteration. Unlike other methods, this testing is collected under direct observation, eliminating chances of substitution or contamination.
By ensuring that the sample collected remains untampered, hair follicle tests provide reliable and unquestionable results. This robust method fortifies the integrity of the testing process, maintaining trust in the outcomes.
Accredited Drug Testing in Lewistown, MT, offers convenient nationwide testing centers to ensure hassle-free access to services. No matter where you are, testing is easily accessible, quick, and simple.
The availability of multiple center locations guarantees that individuals can undergo testing without difficulty, contributing to a seamless and efficient process for both personal and employment-related needs.
The testing process in Lewistown, MT, is designed to be simple and confidential. Ordering, taking, and receiving results are streamlined to ensure ease of use and protect individual privacy throughout the procedure.
Confidentiality is paramount, and every step in the process respects privacy concerns, ensuring that all results and personal information remain secure and discreet, offering users peace of mind.
In Lewistown, MT, hair follicle testing services are offered at competitive rates with a fast turnaround. This affordability ensures that companies of all sizes can benefit from reliable screening without financial strain.
Combined with rapid result delivery, this cost-effectiveness enhances value, making it an attractive option for businesses seeking thorough and swift drug testing solutions.
In Lewistown, MT, the hair follicle drug test provides quick and accurate results. This testing method is known for its precision in detecting various substances, ensuring that the outcomes are both reliable and timely, thus meeting the needs of employers and agencies.
Employing advanced technology allows hair follicle testing to identify even minute traces of substances effectively. This high accuracy ensures that results are trustworthy and reflective of an individual's actual substance use history.
For employers in Lewistown, MT, hair follicle testing assures compliance with drug-free workplace policies. By implementing this method, companies can reduce legal risks and enhance safety in their work environment.
This testing supports maintaining a clean and compliant workplace, offering employers peace of mind knowing that they are fulfilling legal obligations and promoting a safer, drug-free work culture.
