Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis stands as a significant technique for identifying alcohol and drug consumption. Hair encases biomarkers within its strands, providing an extended overview of substance use. With a collection near the scalp, detection of alcohol and other drugs extends to a window of up to three months. Collection is straightforward, tampering is challenging, and transportation is effortless.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches, consisting of around 200 hair strands (approximately equivalent to a #2 pencil in diameter), yields 100mg, which is optimal for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, or those exceeding 10 panels, 150mg is ideal. Utilizing a jeweler's scale for measurement is suggested. If head hair isn’t accessible, an equivalent amount of body hair can be gathered. Head hair specifically refers to scalp hair, while body hair includes other types (like facial or axillary hair).
Process Overview
The drug testing lab procedures encompass four critical stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning signifies the sample’s initial entry into the lab system. This step ensures the sample was correctly sealed and sent, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizes any pending data from the electronic chain of custody.
Screening offers a preliminary assessment for substance use. While it's a cost-effective approach to eliminate negative samples, positive findings must undergo Confirmation for legal validity. Any Screening results that are potentially positive require further confirmation.
When a sample shows a presumptive positive during Screening, additional hair is taken from the sample for Extraction, where drugs are extracted at lower concentrations than other methods (like urine or oral fluid); thus, making hair drug screening the most intricate to perform.
GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods confirm a positive Screening result. Presumptive positives are washed before Confirmation as needed. The comprehensive process from Accessioning to Confirmation is validated under the CAP Hair accreditation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often termed "hair follicle tests", the analysis focuses on the hair strand and excludes the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Napoleon, OH
Extended Detection Window in Napoleon, OH
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Napoleon, OH
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Simple, Confidential Process in Napoleon, OH
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