Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
The use of hair analysis has become recognized as an effective method for identifying the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Hair captures a long-term record of substance use by embedding biomarkers within the fibers as the hair grows. Collecting hair near the scalp can offer up to a three-month detection period for alcohol and other drugs. It's easy to collect, hard to tamper with, and straightforward to ship.
A 1.5-inch hair sample consisting of roughly 200 strands (comparable to the thickness of a #2 pencil) from the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is optimal for both screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding ten, a 150mg sample is advisable. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale for weighing the specimen. If scalp hair is not available, an equivalent amount of body hair may be utilized. When discussing head hair, we exclusively mean scalp hair, whereas body hair includes all other types such as facial and axillary hair.
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result comprises four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning refers to the initial integration of a sample into a lab's system. This process ensures the sample is properly sealed and couriered, allocates a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any additional data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody.
Screening provides an initial assessment for substances of abuse. Although Screening is an economical way to exclude drug use in most samples, a positive outcome needs confirmation to be court-admissible. Any samples deemed presumptively positive during Screening need further confirmation.
Should a sample indicate presumptive positivity in Screening, additional hair is selected from the initial collection for Extraction. In this step, drugs are separated from the hair at a notably lower concentration than other techniques (such as urine or saliva), underscoring why hair drug testing is the most complex method to execute.
Confirming a positive result from the screening involves testing via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. All samples identified as presumptive positives are washed beforehand for Confirmation. The complete lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes evaluation under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and is accredited to the ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: The term "hair follicle tests" is often used, but the evaluation actually involves the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Hair follicle testing offers distinct advantages over traditional urine tests in Sparks, NV. With a detection period of up to 90 days, it provides a more complete picture of an individual's substance use history compared to urine tests.
Comparative Benefits:
In Sparks, NV, the long detection window of hair follicle tests effectively identifies drug use over an extended duration of up to 90 days, offering employers invaluable insights into a candidate or employee's drug history.
Detection Benefits:
Hair follicle testing in Sparks, NV, is renowned for its resistance to tampering, offering a highly reliable testing method. The stringent collection process ensures authenticity and makes sample adulteration nearly impossible.
Protection Against Tampering:
In Sparks, NV, our widespread network of testing centers nationwide ensures convenience and accessibility. Offering seamless access to hair follicle testing services, obtaining a test has never been easier.
Advantages of Our Locations:
Our hair follicle testing process in Sparks, NV, is designed to be simple and discreet. From ordering to obtaining results, we prioritize privacy and ease of use.
Process Highlights:
In Sparks, NV, we provide attractive pricing for our hair follicle testing services along with rapid turnaround times. Our cost-effective solutions present excellent value, ideal for businesses of varying sizes.
Key Advantages:
In Sparks, NV, hair follicle drug testing offers rapid, precise, and trustworthy results. This method excels in accuracy, efficiently detecting substance use with impressive precision, including even small traces of drugs or alcohol.
Advantages:
Through hair follicle testing, employers in Sparks, NV, achieve both compliance and peace of mind, with assurance of adherence to drug-free workplace policies. This method diminishes legal risks while enhancing workplace safety.
Employer Benefits: