Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has gained recognition as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. By capturing biomarkers within the fibers of hair strands as they grow, hair offers a comprehensive history of substance use. Collected near the scalp, hair samples can yield an approximate three-month detection period for detecting alcohol and other substances. It is easily collectible, challenging to tamper with, and convenient to ship.
A 1.5-inch section consisting of about 200 hairs (comparable in size to a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp provides 100mg of hair, which is ideal for screening and confirmation procedures. For EtG, additional tests, or panels exceeding ten, it is advised to utilize 150mg of the sample. Measuring the sample using a jeweler’s scale is recommended. Should scalp hair be unavailable, comparable body hair can be used. The term head hair strictly refers to scalp hair. Body hair includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The key phases in processing a drug test in the lab comprise Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning involves the sample’s initial insertion into the lab’s system, which includes ensuring proper sealing and shipment, assigning a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any additional manual data input not covered by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is a preliminary assessment for drug abuse. While it is a cost-effective method to eliminate drug use for most samples, a positive result in Screening requires confirmation to be legally upheld. Samples with presumptively positive results in Screening must undergo further confirmation.
If the Screening stage results in a presumptive positive, an additional portion of the hair is removed from the initial sample for Extraction. In this phase, the drugs are extracted from the hair at much lower concentrations than other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening notably challenging to execute.
Confirmed positive results from Screening undergo analysis using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Presumptive positive samples are washed prior to confirmation as required. The entire process, from Accessioning to Confirmation, is meticulously reviewed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Frequently termed "hair follicle tests", these tests actually assess hair strands and not the hair follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Papineau, IL
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Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Papineau, IL
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