Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has emerged as a formidable method for detecting drug and alcohol consumption. Hair offers a prolonged historical record of alcohol and various drugs by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of the advancing hair strand. When obtained near the scalp, hair can present up to a roughly 3-month detection timeframe for alcohol and other drugs. Hair is straightforward to gather, relatively hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch section of around 200 hair strands (approximately the girth of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will provide 100mg of hair, the optimal amount for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional analysis, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advised. It is recommended to measure the sample on a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not accessible, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be collected. When discussing head hair, it pertains solely to scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The four essential stages in the lab processing of a drug test result encompass Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the preliminary processing of a specimen into a laboratory’s system. This process includes validating that the specimen was properly sealed and shipped, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any supplemental data entry not supplied by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening involves an initial rapid examination for drugs of abuse. While Screening is a cost-effective manner to eliminate drug use in most samples, a positive screen requires confirmation for admissibility in court. Samples that are presumptively positive during Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.
If a sample tests presumptively positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and prepared for Extraction. In this stage, drugs are extracted from hair at a substantially lower concentration compared to other methodologies (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which is why hair drug screening is considered one of the most challenging methodologies to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is achieved via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing prior to confirmation as needed. The complete laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although commonly called "hair follicle tests", the test itself evaluates the hair strand and not the scalp-embedded follicle.
Hair Follicle vs. Urine Testing: In Laguna Seca, TX, hair follicle testing shines for its superior detection and reliability. While urine tests have been the norm, hair tests extend the detection window, enhancing accuracy.
Extended Detection Window in hair follicle testing ensures employers in Laguna Seca, TX get a detailed view of potential substance use over the past 90 days. This extended timeline offers insights that urine tests can't match.
Tamper-Resistant Testing methods with hair follicle testing in Laguna Seca, TX dramatically reduce the risk of altering samples. This ensures the reliability and unquestionable validity of results.
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and specific sites in Laguna Seca, TX, offer easy access to drug testing.
Simple, Confidential Process is a key advantage of hair follicle testing in Laguna Seca, TX. Our process prioritizes your privacy.
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround highlight our value proposition in Laguna Seca, TX. Offering competitive prices with swift results adds financial and temporal efficiency.
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable results give hair follicle tests an edge in Laguna Seca, TX. Their high precision ensures substance use detection is thorough and trustworthy.
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Laguna Seca, TX employers are enhanced by hair follicle testing, which supports adherence to drug-free workplace policies.
