Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as an effective tool for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. The hair retains a prolonged history by securing biomarkers within the fibers as it grows. When procured near the scalp, hair can reveal alcohol and drug use history up to around a 3-month span. Gathering hair is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and convenient for transport.
A 1.5-inch portion of roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to a #2 pencil in thickness) nearest to the scalp will yield 100mg of hair, the optimal sample for testing and validation. For EtG add-ons or examinations surpassing 10 panels, procuring 150mg is advisable. We suggest using a jeweler’s scale for weighing. If scalp hair isn't obtainable, the same amount of body hair can be collected. "Head hair" refers exclusively to scalp hair. "Body hair" encapsulates all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
Historically, laboratory processing of a drug test outcome encompasses four primary stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning represents the initial handling of a specimen within a laboratory framework. This phase involves confirming if the sample remained sealed and was shipped correctly, tagging it with a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and concluding any missing data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening performs a preliminary, swift evaluation for substances of abuse. Despite being a cost-effective strategy to exclude drug consumption in most specimens, any positive Screen result requires confirmation to be acknowledged in court. Samples yielding presumptive positives in Screening necessitate further confirmation.
Should a sample depict presumptive positivity at the Screening phase, more hair is segregated from the primary specimen to prep for Extraction. Within this phase, drugs are isolated from the hair at a vastly reduced concentration compared to other methods (e.g., urine or saliva), substantiating hair drug screening as one of the most intricate methodologies.
Confirmation for any positive initial screen is executed utilizing GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS techniques. Every presumptive positive sample is washed before confirmation as required. The entire lab process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, undergoes review under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and obtains accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though commonly termed "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the skin
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Maxville, WI
Extended Detection Window in Maxville, WI
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Maxville, WI
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations in Maxville, WI
Simple, Confidential Process in Maxville, WI
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Maxville, WI
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Maxville, WI
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Maxville, WI