Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has become recognized as an effective method for identifying alcohol and drug use. Hair captures a prolonged history of alcohol and substances by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of the developing hair shaft. When sourced near the scalp, hair can offer up to a three-month detection range for alcohol and drugs. Hair is easy to gather, relatively hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A sample of 1.5 inches with about 200 strands of hair (approximately the size of a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal sample for screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and/or exams above 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advised. We suggest weighing the sample on a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is inaccessible, an equivalent amount of body hair can be gathered. When we refer to head hair, it indicates scalp hair only. Body hair encompasses all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test result comprises four key steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the preliminary processing of a sample into a lab’s system. This involves ensuring the sample's proper sealing and shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and entering any supplementary data not included by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening involves an initial rapid examination for drug abuse. Though Screening provides a cost-effective method to exclude drug use in most samples, a positive result requires confirmation for court admissibility. Any samples that are initially positive in Screening necessitate a secondary confirmation.
If a specimen is initially positive during the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and set for Extraction. At this stage, drugs are drawn from hair at significantly lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which makes hair drug screening the most challenging methodology to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening result is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are washed before confirmation as necessary. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is inspected under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and certification to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although often called "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand, not the follicle underneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Outshines Urine Testing in Lakeport, TX stems from its superior accuracy and extended detection window. Hair tests capture a person's drug use history over several months, compared to the shorter window of urine tests.
Through an Extended Detection Window, hair follicle testing in Lakeport, TX, provides insight into drug use spanning up to 90 days. This window allows employers to comprehensively assess an individual’s substance history, offering reassurance about consistent sobriety. Recognizing past patterns of drug use is critical for ensuring workplace safety and gauging an applicant’s fitness for a role, giving hair testing an edge over other methods.
Tamper-Resistant Testing is one of the standout features of hair follicle drug testing offered in Lakeport, TX. Hair samples are considerably less vulnerable to tampering compared to urine, making fake results highly improbable.
Convenient Nationwide Testing Centers include those located in Lakeport, TX, ensuring seamless testing services.
The Simple, Confidential Process for obtaining hair follicle test results in Lakeport, TX, emphasizes ease and privacy.
Affordable Pricing and Rapid Turnaround characterize the hair follicle testing services in Lakeport, TX.
Hair follicle drug tests in Lakeport, TX, offer exceptional precision and speed, becoming synonymous with accuracy. By analyzing hair specimens, these tests provide a reliable means to detect substance use, significantly reducing the probability of false negatives or positives. Faster turnaround times further enhance their suitability for timely decision-making, meeting the demands of modern workplaces.
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Lakeport, TX, is guaranteed through hair follicle testing.
