Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis is increasingly considered an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair strands offer a long-term record of alcohol and drug use by embedding substances in the hair as it grows. When harvested close to the head, hair can reveal drug or alcohol exposure for a span of about three months. Hair collection is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and convenient to transport.
A hair sample measuring 1.5 inches and consisting of roughly 200 hairs (similar in size to a #2 pencil) from near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, the optimal quantity for both initial testing and confirmation. For enhanced tests such as EtG or those exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg specimen is advisable. It is best to measure the sample weight using a jeweler’s scale. In cases where scalp hair is not present, an equal mass of body hair can be utilized. References to head hair pertain solely to scalp hair, while body hair encompasses all other types (facial, armpit, etc.).
Process Overview
The core stages in a lab's drug test processing include Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the preliminary step where a sample is integrated into a lab's system. This phase ensures the sample was correctly secured and transported, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any other necessary data that is not included in an electronic chain of custody.
Screening offers a rapid evaluation for substances that might be abused. While it’s a cost-efficient method to detect drug use in most samples, any result from Screening indicating drug presence must be verified for legal acceptability. Samples showing presumptive positivity in Screening necessitate a follow-up confirmation.
If Screening suggests a sample is positive, additional hair is extracted from it for thorough Extraction. In this phase, concentrated drugs are separated from hair at notably reduced levels compared to techniques like urine or oral fluid tests, highlighting the complexity of hair-based testing.
Confirmation for any positive screen outcome is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Before Confirmation, any presumptively positive samples are cleansed as required. This comprehensive testing process, spanning Accessioning to Confirmation, is evaluated against the standards set by both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation criteria of ISO / IEC 17025.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Often termed as "hair follicle tests", this examination focuses on analyzing the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the skin.
Hair follicle testing outshines urine tests in Spraberry, TX due to its superior detection precision. Benefits include:
The extended detection window in Spraberry, TX, sets hair follicle testing apart. Employers appreciate:
Spraberry, TX's hair follicle tests virtually eliminate tampering concerns. Benefits:
With convenient nationwide testing locations, including Spraberry, TX, hair follicle testing is easily accessible. Features include:
Spraberry, TX offers a simple and confidential hair follicle testing process. Key points:
Our Spraberry, TX hair follicle tests are competitively priced, providing fast turnaround times. Highlights:
In Spraberry, TX, hair follicle drug tests are known for their high precision and rapid results. These tests detect substances accurately, offering undeniable evidence of usage.
For employers in Spraberry, TX, hair follicle testing provides peace of mind by ensuring adherence to drug-free policies. Advantages:
