Hair Follicle Drug Testing - Ralston, WA

Employment, DOT, Court Ordered, Personal

Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG

Accredited Drug Testing offers comprehensive hair follicle drug screening services in Ralston, WA. If you're in need of a hair or alcohol test, Accredited Drug Testing is a leader in hair testing, with centers nationwide to facilitate such examinations. Typically, you need 1.5 to 2 inches of hair from your head or body. Hair tests can analyze substances such as drugs, alcohol/ETG, among other personalized testing options.

In recent years, hair follicle drug tests have increasingly become a prominent method for substance screening. Employers, legal entities, and Substance Abuse experts are favoring hair drug tests over traditional urine exams. Organizations enforcing zero-tolerance drug policies, probation offices, and courts utilize these tests. The key advantage is a longer substance detection period, usually up to 90 days, with an observed collection method, rendering it almost foolproof against tampering. Though for analyzing recent drug use within five days, urine tests remain more precise.

* You must register by phone or online to receive your donor pass/registration prior to proceeding to the testing center. You must bring a valid government issued ID along with the registration/barcode number which was sent to you by email.

When you're searching for hair drug testing near me or hair drug testing locations, we provide a simple and convenient process to find a drug and alcohol testing location near you that is certified to provide all of your drug and alcohol testing needs.

(800) 221-4291

What it is, How it works

Hair tests are recognized as an effective method for detecting substance consumption. Hair captures a prolonged record of alcohol and drugs by embedding biomarkers in the hair's structure. Collected near the scalp, hair can yield roughly a 3-month detection period for drugs and alcohol. Collecting hair is straightforward, hard to tamper with, and simple to transport.

A sample measuring 1.5 inches with roughly 200 hair strands (comparable in size to a #2 pencil) near the scalp provides 100mg of hair, the optimal amount for analysis. For EtG, additional tests, and/or those exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the sample is advised. We suggest measuring the sample on a jewelerâ€™s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, a similar quantity of body hair can be used. When discussing head hair, we only mean scalp hair. Body hair describes all other hair types (beard, underarm, etc.).

Process Overview

The primary steps in the lab handling of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.

Accessioning means the sample's initial entry into a lab's system. This step involves ensuring the sample's proper sealing and shipping, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing additional data entry absent in an electronic chain of custody system.

Screening involves a swift preliminary drug abuse test. While a cost-efficient way to eliminate drug usage in most samples, a positive screening must be confirmed for court use. Samples testing presumptive positive in Screening need further confirmation.

If a sample tests presumptive positive during Screening, more hair is extracted from the original sample for Extraction. This step extracts drugs from hair at a significantly reduced concentration compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most challenging method to perform.

Positive screening results undergo Confirmation via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are cleansed before confirmation as necessary. The full lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is assessed under both CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and ISO / IEC 17025 standards accreditation.

Advantages of hair drug testing:

Extended detection period: Hair drug tests can identify substance use for up to 90 days, unlike urine tests with a shorter detection period.
Hard to manipulate: Cheating a hair drug test is notably tough, resulting in more reliable outcomes.
Offers historical insight: It provides usage patterns over time, not merely recent use.

Limitations:

Incapable of identifying recent consumption: It typically takes around 5-7 days for drugs to become detectable in hair.
Expense: Hair drug tests generally cost more than other testing methods.
Result variability: Elements like hair pigmentation and personal hair growth rates can influence metabolite concentrations in the hair.

Note: Though often termed "hair follicle tests", the analysis focuses on the hair shaft, not the subcutaneous hair follicle