Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is increasingly recognized as a robust method for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a long-term record of alcohol and drug use by embedding biomarkers within the strands of hair as they grow. Collecting hair close to the scalp allows up to about a 3-month detection timeframe for alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to gather, somewhat resistant to tampering, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment of approximately 200 hair strands (similar to a #2 pencil in size) nearest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, the optimal sample for screening and confirmation. For testing EtG, additional services, and/or more than 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advisable. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale to measure the sample's weight. If scalp hair isn't available, a similar amount of body hair can be obtained. References to head hair imply scalp hair exclusively. Body hair includes all other types of hair (such as facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory steps in processing a drug test are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the initial entry of a sample into the laboratory system. This step involves verifying the sample’s proper sealing and shipping, assigning an arbitrary LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional data input not included by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening involves an initial evaluation for substances of misuse. Although Screening is a budget-friendly method to exclude drug use in most samples, a positive screening must be confirmed to be admissible in legal settings. Any samples deemed presumptively positive during Screening require a further confirmation process.
If a sample tests presumptively positive in Screening, additional hair is taken from the initial sample for Preparation for Extraction. In this stage, drugs are extracted from hair at much lower levels than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug testing one of the most challenging processes to execute.
Confirming any positive screening outcome is done using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are washed before confirmation as necessary. The complete laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly called "hair follicle tests", the test actually examines the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
In Witten, SD, hair follicle testing outperforms urine tests in several ways.
With an extended detection window, hair follicle testing allows for a longer historical view of drug use, up to 90 days, compared to other methods.
Hair follicle tests in Witten, SD offer a tamper-resistant testing option, significantly reducing risks of sample tampering.
Accredited Drug Testing offers convenient nationwide and local testing locations in Witten, SD, ensuring easy access to drug testing services.
The process for hair follicle testing in Witten, SD is simple and confidential.
Accredited Drug Testing provides affordable pricing and fast turnaround times for hair follicle tests in Witten, SD.
Hair follicle drug tests in Witten, SD are known for their fast, precise, and reliable results. The testing process is streamlined to deliver rapid outcomes while maintaining a high degree of accuracy in identifying substance use patterns.
Ensuring compliance with drug-free workplace policies is seamless with hair follicle testing in Witten, SD.