Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Seen as a robust means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption, hair testing has gained prominence. It delivers an extended timeline of drug and alcohol history by embedding biomarkers within the fibers of the hair as it grows. Collected near the scalp, hair offers roughly a 90-day detection window for alcohol and drugs. It's easy to collect, challenging to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment, comprising approximately 200 strands (roughly the width of a #2 pencil), collected nearest to the scalp, should yield 100mg of hair, which is ideal for both screening and confirmation purposes. For EtG, additional tests, and/or extended panels beyond 10, 150mg is advisable. A jeweler’s scale is recommended for weighing the sample. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent amount of body hair can be gathered. "Head hair" refers specifically to scalp hair, while "body hair" pertains to all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Procedure Summary
The laboratory processing of a drug test result involves four primary steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning is the preliminary integration of a sample into a lab's system. It verifies the correct sealing and shipping of the sample, assigns a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and handles any supplemental data entry absent from an electronic chain of custody solution.
Screening is a fast initial assessment for drug misuse. While cost-effective for eliminating drug use in most samples, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for court admissibility. Samples testing presumptive positive in Screening require follow-up confirmation.
Presumptive positive samples in the Screening phase need additional hair taken from the original sample for Extraction. This phase involves extracting drugs from hair at a much lower concentration compared to methods like urine or oral fluid. Hair drug screening is thus among the most challenging methods to execute.
Confirmation of any positive result from Screening is done using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples testing presumptive positive undergo washing before confirmation when necessary. The complete lab process from Accessioning to Confirmation is audited under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation along with ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Commonly termed as "hair follicle tests", the analysis focuses on the hair strand itself and not the scalp's hair follicle.
In Alco, AR, hair follicle tests remarkably surpass traditional urine tests due to their extended detection timeframe and greater reliability. Hair testing offers superior detection accuracy and dependability, providing a broader overview of substance use devoid of the common limitations associated with urine testing methods.
Employers in Alco, AR, benefit from the extended detection window offered by hair follicle tests, which can identify drug use up to 90 days prior. This allows for a comprehensive review of an employee's or applicant's substance habits, surpassing the shorter timeframes offered by other testing methods.
Hair follicle testing in Alco, AR, serves as a tamper-resistant option, considerably diminishing the risk of sample adulteration. This reliable approach ensures unquestionable results, aiding entities in their quest for integrity in drug testing.
Accredited Drug Testing’s widespread network offers convenient nationwide testing locations for Alco, AR residents. This accessibility guarantees seamless and efficient access to testing services, accommodating the need for quick and hassle-free testing experiences.
In Alco, AR, the hair follicle testing process is simple and confidential, ensuring privacy and ease. From ordering to collecting results, the procedure is designed to be user-friendly, addressing potential concerns regarding confidentiality and convenience.
Alco, AR, benefits from affordable pricing and rapid turnaround times offered by hair follicle tests. This ensures superior value for businesses, facilitating economical and prompt testing solutions, adaptable to companies of various scales.
Hair follicle testing in Alco, AR, is renowned for its fast, precise, and dependable outcomes. With the ability to precisely detect substance use, this testing method ensures high levels of accuracy and reliability, meeting the demands for swift results in substance identification.
For employers in Alco, AR, hair follicle testing provides desired compliance and reassurance, maintaining adherence to drug-free regulations while minimizing legal vulnerabilities. This method contributes substantially to enhancing workplace safety and ensuring operational peace of mind.
