Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
The perception of hair testing as an effective means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption is well-established. Hair captures a long-term record of alcohol and drug use by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of the hair as it grows. When sampled near the scalp, hair can reflect up to a three-month timeline of alcohol and drug usage. Hair is straightforward to gather, comparatively resistant to tampering, and convenient for transport.
A 1.5-inch section containing about 200 hairs (comparable to the thickness of a #2 pencil), taken closest to the scalp, yields 100mg, the optimal sample for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional options, or tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg is advised. It is suggested to use a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. Should scalp hair be unavailable, a similar quantity of body hair can be collected. The term "head hair" refers exclusively to scalp hair, while "body hair" encompasses all other types (such as facial and axillary hair).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test involves four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the beginning phase, integrating a sample into the laboratory's system. This step ensures correct sealing and shipping of the sample, assigns a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completes any further data entry that an electronic chain of custody system does not cover.
Screening provides an initial rapid test for substance abuse. While it is a cost-efficient strategy to exclude drug use in the bulk of samples, a positive screen must be validated for legal acceptability. Any samples showing presumptive positives during Screening necessitate subsequent confirmation.
If a sample tests presumptively positive during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and prepped for Extraction. This phase involves isolating drugs from hair at much lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or saliva), which is why hair drug screening is recognized as the most complex method to execute.
Validation of any positive screening outcome is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as required. The complete lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is conducted under CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and is accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Commonly termed "hair follicle tests", the test analyzes the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Testing Trumps Urine Testing in Tolar, TX
Extended Detection Window in Tolar, TX
Secure and Tamper-Resistant Testing in Tolar, TX
Convenient Testing Locations Across Tolar, TX and Nationwide
Simplicity and Privacy in Testing Within Tolar, TX
Competitive Pricing and Rapid Turnaround in Tolar, TX
Fast and Precise Detection in Tolar, TX
Ensuring Compliance and Assurance for Employers in Tolar, TX