Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as an effective technique for uncovering drug and alcohol consumption. Hair strands offer a comprehensive record of alcohol and other substances by capturing biomarkers within the growing hair fiber. When cut near the scalp, hair can reveal a drug and alcohol usage history for approximately three months. Collecting hair is straightforward, resistant to tampering, and simple to transport.
A sample of 1.5 inches containing about 200 hair strands (approximately the thickness of a #2 pencil) and closest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, which is the optimal amount for both screening and confirmation purposes. For additional tests, such as EtG or those beyond 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advisable. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for measurement is suggested. If scalp hair is unavailable, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be collected. In reference to head hair, only scalp hair is considered. Body hair encompasses all other hair categories (such as facial and axillary hair).
Process Overview
The laboratory procedures for processing drug test samples comprise four crucial steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning includes the initial incorporation of a sample into a lab’s database. This process verifies proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any supplementary data entry not included by an electronic chain of custody mechanism.
Screening consists of a preliminary rapid assessment for drug presence. Although it is an economical method to exclude drug use in numerous samples, a confirmed positive screen is mandatory for court use. Any sample indicating a presumptive positive in Screening requires an additional confirmatory test.
Should a sample indicate a presumptive positive during Screening, more hair is extracted from the original sample for the Extraction phase. At this point, drugs are isolated from hair at much lower concentrations than in methods like urine or oral fluid testing, which makes hair drug analysis one of the most challenging methods to execute.
GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques are utilized for confirming any positive screening outcomes. All samples with presumptive positives undergo washing prior to confirmation as necessary. The overall lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, complies with both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though commonly termed "hair follicle tests," the actual test examines the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Hair follicle testing in Benoit, TX, offers distinct advantages over urine testing. Advantages of Hair Testing:
These benefits underscore why businesses and legal bodies increasingly prefer hair testing for its reliability and comprehensive assessment of substance use.
Benoit, TX, benefits from the extended detection window of hair follicle testing, which can reveal substance use over a period of up to 90 days. This window provides a detailed overview of an individual's drug history.
This extensive detection period offers employers a thorough understanding of substance use behaviors.
In Benoit, TX, hair follicle tests provide an excellent solution against sample tampering. The tests are resistant to adulteration, ensuring reliable outcomes.
This integrity makes hair follicle testing a dependable choice for honest and unquestionable results.
With conveniently located testing centers, both nationally and locally in Benoit, TX, obtaining a hair follicle test is hassle-free. Benefits of Numerous Locations:
This accessibility ensures that individuals and businesses can procure necessary testing effortlessly.
Ensuring simplicity and confidentiality, hair follicle testing in Benoit, TX, adheres to a user-friendly process. From ordering to result acquisition, it prioritizes privacy.
This approach reassures clients of secure and simple transactions in obtaining test results.
Offering competitive pricing and prompt processing, hair follicle testing in Benoit, TX, delivers both value and quick results.
This combination makes our services accessible and dependable, catering to businesses of varied sizes.
In Benoit, TX, our hair follicle testing stands out for its speed and precision in providing results. High accuracy levels allow us to detect substance use effectively, much more reliably than traditional methods.
These features ensure individuals and organizations can trust the outcomes.
Employers in Benoit, TX, opt for hair follicle testing to ensure adherence to drug-free workplace policies. This choice minimizes legal risks and safeguards the work environment.
Overall, this testing method provides peace of mind for employers seeking to uphold policy standards.
