Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
The utilization of hair testing has emerged as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. By embedding biomarkers within the strands of growing hair, hair serves as a chronicled history of alcohol and drug use. When taken from near the scalp, hair can furnish a detection window extending up to about three months for alcohol and drug presence. Hair sampling is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches with roughly 200 hair strands (equivalent to the thickness of a #2 pencil) collected nearest to the scalp yields 100mg, which is optimal for screening and verification purposes. For tests like EtG, add-ons, and those exceeding 10 panels, a recommendation of 150mg of the sample is put forward. It's advised to use a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. Should scalp hair be unavailable, a comparable quantity of body hair may be utilized. In reference to head hair, the term specifically denotes scalp hair. Conversely, body hair encompasses all other forms like facial and axillary hair.
Process Overview
The drug testing lab processing encompasses four essential stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves the process wherein a sample is initially integrated into the laboratory's system. This step includes assessing that the sample is properly sealed and dispatched, assigning a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any data entry that an electronic chain of custody might not cover.
Screening provides an immediate preliminary check for drug presence. Although Screening is a budget-friendly method to negate drug use for most specimens, a positive result necessitates confirmation for legal acceptance. Any sample indicating positive results during Screening mandates a further confirmation process.
If a sample yields a positive result in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the original source and prepared for Extraction. During this phase, drug components are retrieved from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other methods like urine or oral fluid testing, explaining why hair drug testing is particularly challenging.
Confirmation for any positive Screening outcome ensues via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS processes. Before confirmation, all samples suspected to be positive undergo a washing procedure as needed. The complete laboratory procedure from Accessioning through Confirmation is assessed under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair label and aligned with ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: While commonly dubbed "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand itself, not the underlying hair follicle.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Bomarton, TX
Extended Detection Window in Bomarton, TX
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Bomarton, TX
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Bomarton, TX
Simple, Confidential Process in Bomarton, TX
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Bomarton, TX
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