Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair assessments are recognized as a robust method for spotting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair maintains a substantial timeline by embedding biomarkers within the growing hair strand fibers. When samples are collected near the scalp, they offer roughly a three-month insight into drug and alcohol presence. Collecting hair is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches, equivalent to 200 hair strands (approximately the thickness of a #2 pencil) closest to the scalp provides 100mg, which is perfect for both screening and verification. For EtG, add-on tests, or assessments beyond 10 panels, it is advisable to acquire 150mg. Utilize a jeweler’s scale for precise specimen measurement. If scalp hair is unavailable, collection of an equivalent mass of body hair is an option. When referencing head hair, it strictly means scalp hair, while body hair indicates all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The key stages in lab processing of a drug test result include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves introducing a sample into a lab’s system. This step ensures the sample’s seal and shipment were correct, assigns a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number) randomly, and records any data not included in an electronic custody chain system.
Screening refers to an initial swift assessment for prohibited substances. Although cost-efficient for ruling out drug use in most samples, a positive Screening needs confirmation to be credible for legal purposes. Samples that are presumptively positive during Screening mandate a subsequent confirmation.
Presumptive positives at the Screening phase lead to additional hair extraction from the original sample, prepared for Extraction. This stage isolates drugs from hair at much lower concentrations than methods like urine or oral fluids, marking hair drug screening as a particularly complex methodology.
Confirmation of any positive Screening outcomes occurs with GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. Each presumptive positive sample undergoes washing before confirmation, if necessary. The comprehensive lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is conducted under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and in accordance with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often called "hair follicle tests", the analysis is performed on the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Rheatown, TN
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