Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is now viewed as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair contains a prolonged timeline of substance use by capturing biomarkers in the strands as they grow. When taken near the scalp, it can provide roughly a 3-month detection period for substances. Hair collection is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and easy to transport.
A measurement of 1.5 inches, consisting of around 200 hair strands (similar in size to a #2 pencil), clipped near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the perfect quantity for both preliminary and confirmatory testing. For EtG, additional tests, or assessments exceeding 10 panels, a collection of 150mg is suggested. We advise using a jeweler's scale to weigh the sample. If scalp hair isn't available, an equal volume of body hair can be used. "Head hair" refers only to scalp hair, whereas "body hair" refers to other types (such as facial or underarm hair).
Process Overview
The main stages in laboratory analysis for drug testing results include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning covers the initial sample handling upon entering a lab's system. It involves checking the seal and shipment, providing a random Laboratory Accessioning Number (LAN), and finishing any necessary data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody.
Screening is a rapid preliminary check for illegal substances. Even though this is a budget-friendly means to exclude drug use in many cases, any positive result found needs confirmation before being legally valid. Samples with preliminary positive results from Screening require additional confirmation.
For samples showing a potential positive during Screening, more hair is extracted from the original sample for Extraction. In this process, drug substances are removed from hair at much lower levels than other approaches (like urine or saliva), making hair drug screening particularly challenging.
Positive Screening results undergo Confirmation through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Every sample with a tentative positive is cleansed before Confirmation as needed. Both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards monitor the whole laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though commonly called "hair follicle tests", the examination actually evaluates the strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Statesville, TN
Extended Detection Window in Statesville, TN
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Statesville, TN
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Statesville, TN
Simple, Confidential Process in Statesville, TN
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