Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair provides an extended retrospective view of alcohol and drug ingestion by capturing biomarkers within the hair fiber as it grows. When taken from the scalp area, hair can present a detection period of nearly three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair is easy to procure, relatively tough to tamper with, and simple to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment with around 200 strands of hair (approximately comparable to the width of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp yields 100mg of hair, which is the preferred quantity for initial screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding ten, 150mg of hair is advisable. It is advised to use a jeweler’s scale for weighing the sample. If scalp hair is inaccessible, an equivalent portion of body hair may be used. By scalp hair, we mean hair from the head only. Body hair consists of hair from other regions (such as facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The drug test result processing in a lab involves four key stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the introductory step in processing a specimen into the lab’s framework. This process involves checking that the sample is secured and sent appropriately, creating a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and filling in any other necessary data not covered by an electronic custody chain system.
Screening is a preliminary rapid assessment for drug abuse. While an economical way to dismiss drug usage in the vast majority of samples, a positive screening result necessitates confirmation for validity in legal contexts. Any samples that are provisionally positive in Screening are subject to secondary confirmation.
If a sample indicates a provisional positive outcome in the Screening phase, additional hair is taken from the primary sample and prepped for Extraction. At this juncture, drugs are extracted from hair at minimal concentrations compared to other testing methods (such as urine or saliva), making hair drug screening the most complex methodology to conduct.
Confirmation of any positive screening result is executed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS methods. All samples with provisional positive results are thoroughly cleaned before confirmation as required. The entire laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation undergoes review under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair classification and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: While commonly called "hair follicle tests", the examination actually assesses the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Compared to urine tests, hair follicle testing in Austinville, VA offers extensive advantages. Hair tests provide a superior detection period, reaching up to 90 days, while urine tests cover a shorter span.
Hair tests offer greater accuracy and reliability. They're harder to cheat, ensuring a truer reflection of substance use history and bolstering comprehensive screening processes.
Hair follicle testing in Austinville, VA covers an extended detection window of up to 90 days, providing a thorough review of drug use history.
This longer window offers employers a comprehensive analysis of an individual’s substance use, unlike shorter-term urine tests, leading to more informed hiring decisions.
Hair follicle testing in Austinville, VA is a notably tamper-resistant method. Unlike urine testing, it significantly reduces the risk of sample adulteration.
This testing process guarantees reliable, incontestable outcomes, offering confidence in the integrity of the results obtained from the samples.
With convenient testing centers spread nationwide, including in Austinville, VA, accessing hair follicle testing services is quick and hassle-free.
These widespread locations simplify the process, providing easily accessible, seamless testing services wherever you are, making drug screening more manageable.
In Austinville, VA, hair follicle testing involves a simple and confidential process from order to results, ensuring privacy is maintained throughout.
The streamlined method addresses users' confidentiality concerns, ensuring ease of use and reliable handling of sensitive information.
Offering competitive pricing, hair follicle testing in Austinville, VA stands out with its affordable costs and fast turnaround.
This provides exceptional value for companies of every size, ensuring not only quick results but also financial feasibility, making it a prime choice for employers.
In Austinville, VA, hair follicle drug tests are renowned for their speed and accuracy. They provide fast and reliable outcomes, ensuring high precision in detecting substance use.
The process is streamlined to deliver rapid results, offering peace of mind. With unmatched accuracy, hair testing minimizes false positives, making it a trusted method for those requiring drug screening.
Employers in Austinville, VA find peace of mind with hair follicle testing, ensuring compliance with drug-free workplace policies.
This method reduces legal risks by enforcing zero-tolerance measures and enhancing workplace safety through reliable drug detection measures.
