Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is now regarded as an effective approach for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair retains a prolonged record of alcohol and other substances by encapsulating biomarkers within the strands as they grow. When sampled near the scalp, hair can reveal alcohol and drug usage for up to a 3-month period. The collection of hair is straightforward, with minimal chances of tampering, and it's convenient to send for analysis.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches and consisting of roughly 200 hair strands (about the thickness of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, which is the optimal amount for both preliminary tests and confirmatory evaluations. For EtG, additional components, and/or assessments exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale to weigh the sample is suggested. If no scalp hair is present, a similar quantity of body hair may be utilized. References to head hair pertain solely to scalp hair, whereas body hair encompasses all other categories (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The laboratory evaluation of a drug test outcome involves four principal steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning pertains to the initial handling of a sample within a laboratory context. It ensures the sample is sealed and transported correctly, assigns a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and handles any supplementary data entry absent from an electronic custody documentation system.
Screening encompasses a preliminary assessment for common drug use. While it is an economical method to discount drug intake in most cases, a positive screen must be validated to be legally acceptable. All samples with a presumptively positive Screening result require further confirmation.
Upon a presumptively positive outcome in Screening, an additional portion of hair from the original sample undergoes preparation for Extraction. This phase involves isolating drugs from hair at a lower concentration compared to alternative methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug testing one of the most complex methodologies.
Confirmatory tests for any positive Screening results are administered using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positive outcomes are cleaned before confirmation if needed. The entire lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is monitored via both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation compliant with ISO / IEC 17025 criteria.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly labeled as "hair follicle tests," the analysis targets the hair strand itself and not the follicle embedded beneath the scalp.
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