Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair screening is now recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a long-term record of alcohol and drugs by embedding biomarkers within the hair fiber as it grows. When taken near the scalp, hair offers a detection period of up to about three months for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is straightforward, relatively tamper-proof, and simple to transport.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches, consisting of about 200 hair strands (roughly the size of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp, amounts to 100mg, which is optimal for analysis and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or those exceeding 10 panels, it's suggested to utilize 150mg of the sample. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale for specimen weighing. If scalp hair isn't available, a comparable quantity of body hair might be gathered. Reference to head hair specifically means scalp hair. Body hair includes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The procedure for lab processing of a drug test outcome includes four primary phases: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning represents the initial stage where a sample is processed into the lab's system. This step involves ensuring the sample’s proper sealing and shipping, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any further data entry not provided via an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening serves as an initial check for drugs of abuse. This step is a budget-friendly approach to dismiss drugs' presence in most samples, yet a positive screening outcome needs confirmation to be legally valid. Any samples that show a presumptive positive in Screening demand secondary confirmation.
In cases where a sample shows presumptive positivity during Screening, more hair is sourced from the original sample and prepared for Extraction. This phase involves extracting drugs from hair at considerably lower concentrations than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the toughest method to conduct.
Confirmation of any positive screening outcomes is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positives undergo washing prior to confirmation if necessary. The complete laboratory sequence from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though frequently termed "hair follicle tests", the testing process evaluates the hair strand itself, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
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