Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has gained recognition as an effective means for uncovering drug and alcohol consumption. Hair strands capture biomarkers in their fibers, offering a prolonged history of substance exposure. When taken close to the scalp, hair can supply an approximate 3-month detection window for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is straightforward, tampering is relatively challenging, and it can be easily shipped.
A 1.5-inch section consisting of around 200 hair threads (about the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is optimal for screening and validation. For EtG, extra tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, 150mg is advisable. It is recommended to use a jeweler’s scale for measuring the specimen weight. If scalp hair is unavailable, the same quantity of body hair can be collected. By head hair, we mean scalp hair only. Body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Procedure Summary
The process in a lab for analyzing a drug test result includes four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
During Accessioning, a sample is initially processed into the lab system. This process ensures the sample is sealed and shipped correctly, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any extra data input not captured by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening involves a preliminary rapid test for substances of abuse. While Screening is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug use in most samples, a positive result must be verified for legal admissibility. Every sample that tests presumptively positive during Screening needs further confirmation.
If a sample tests presumptively positive at the Screening stage, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and curated for Extraction. Here, drugs are extracted from hair at a considerably lower concentration than with other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most challenging technique to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening results is done using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as required. From Accessioning to Confirmation, the entire lab process is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair guidelines and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Benefits of hair drug analysis:
Drawbacks:
Note: While often termed as "hair follicle tests", the examination actually involves the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
In McCord, OK, hair follicle testing is viewed as more effective compared to traditional urine tests. Detection accuracy is a significant advantage, providing more reliable outcomes. Hair tests offer a superior detection window, up to 90 days, unlike urine tests which may miss longer-term substance use.
Reliability and accuracy distinguish hair tests from urine tests, as they are less susceptible to tampering, ensuring trust in results.
The extended detection window of up to 90 days makes hair follicle testing in McCord, OK, an indispensable tool for employers. It detects drug use over a more extended period, unlike traditional tests, providing a comprehensive view of an individual’s substance habits.
This longer detection period helps employers make informed decisions by offering a transparent assessment of an employee's or applicant's substance use history, beyond just recent use.
Hair follicle testing offers a reliable and tamper-resistant method in McCord, OK. The integrity of results is preserved as attempts to adulterate the sample are significantly reduced. Employers, as a result, can trust the authenticity of the findings.
This method is almost impossible to cheat, thanks to the direct collection process, ensuring authentic and indisputable evidence of substance use when tested.
Convenient nationwide and local testing locations are available in McCord, OK, providing quick access to testing services. Ease and accessibility are guaranteed with our extensive network of testing centers spread across various locations.
This network ensures seamless service provision for individuals and employers, negating travel challenges, thus facilitating a hassle-free testing process every time.
In McCord, OK, our hair follicle testing process is designed to be simple and confidential. Ordering, undertaking, and receiving results are straightforward steps, ensuring privacy and ease of use throughout the process.
Your privacy concerns are addressed comprehensively, ensuring a worry-free experience with guaranteed confidentiality and exceptional service quality.
Competitive pricing and fast turnaround characterize our testing services in McCord, OK. You can expect affordable prices and quick results, providing outstanding value for businesses of any size, reducing wait times significantly.
Our affordability ensures that companies can maintain a budget-friendly approach while ensuring workplace compliance and employee safety, benefiting all involved parties.
In McCord, OK, hair follicle drug testing is renowned for delivering swift, precise, and trustworthy outcomes. High precision in detecting substance use is a hallmark of these tests. They are efficient, accurately reflecting an individual's potential drug use.
Employers in McCord benefit from the reliability of results that hair testing guarantees. This method ensures clear and definitive positive or negative results, based upon substance presence.
Hair follicle testing fosters compliance and peace of mind for McCord, OK, employers. Using this method aligns with workplace drug-free policies, mitigating legal risks, enhancing safety, and ensuring smoother organizational operations.
Employers gain a reliable means of upholding workplace standards, greatly reducing the probability of drug-related incidents, and leading to a safer working environment.