Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is now recognized as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol usage. A strand of hair captures biomarkers over its growth, storing a long-term record of substance use. When clipped close to the scalp, hair offers around a 3-month timeframe for detecting drugs and alcohol. Collecting hair is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and easy to send.
A 1.5-inch segment of roughly 200 hair strands (roughly the girth of a #2 pencil) from the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is the optimal quantity for evaluation and verification. For EtG, supplemental tests, and/or testing exceeding 10 panels, 150mg is advisable. We suggest weighing the hair on a jeweler’s scale. If there's no scalp hair, a matching amount of body hair can be used. When we mention head hair, we are specifically indicating scalp hair. Body hair denotes all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory treatment of a drug testing sample encompasses four key stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves integrating a specimen into a lab’s database. This covers checking the sample’s seal and shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any required data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening provides a preliminary evaluation for substance abuse. Although Screening economically identifies drug presence in most samples, a favorable screen necessitates confirmation for legal acceptance. Any specimens with potential positive results in Screening require secondary verification.
Should a sample indicate a preliminary positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is taken from the initial source and readied for Extraction. In this step, drugs are isolated from hair at a much lower concentration than alternative approaches (e.g., urine or oral fluid), hence hair drug testing being the most challenging methodology.
To verify any favorable screening outcome, testing via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS is performed. Every sample marked presumptive positive undergoes washing before confirmation as necessary. The total lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation observes protocols under both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the certification to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: While often termed "hair follicle tests", the procedure examines the hair shaft rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing is Preferred Over Urine Testing in Tygh Valley, OR While traditional urine tests are commonplace, hair follicle examinations surpass them in detection accuracy and reliability.
Extended Detection Window in Tygh Valley, OR Hair follicle testing provides unmatched insight over time, allowing for drug use detection up to 90 days back.
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Tygh Valley, OR In Tygh Valley, hair follicle tests are renowned for their resistance to tampering. It ensures reliable results by significantly reducing the possibility of sample adulteration or deceitful practices.
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Tygh Valley, OR Our extensive network ensures easy access to testing services.
Simple, Confidential Process in Tygh Valley, OR Our testing process in Tygh Valley is designed with simplicity and confidentiality in mind.
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Tygh Valley, OR We are committed to offering competitive pricing structures without compromising on quality or speed.
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Tygh Valley, OR The excellence of hair follicle drug testing is found in its
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Tygh Valley, OR By leveraging hair follicle assessments, employers adhere to drug-free policies, reducing legal challenges.
