Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is now recognized as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol usage. By incorporating biomarkers into the fibers of the developing hair, hair offers a comprehensive record of alcohol and drug consumption over time. When collected near the scalp, hair can show a detection window of up to three months for alcohol and other substances. Hair is easy to collect, challenging to tamper with, and straightforward to transport.
A sample measuring 1.5 inches, comprising roughly 200 hair strands (comparable to the thickness of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp, will yield 100mg of hair, which is the preferred quantity for screening and confirmation. For EtG, additional tests, and/or beyond 10 panels, a specimen weight of 150mg is suggested. Using a jeweler’s scale is advisable for this purpose. If scalp hair isn’t available, a similar quantity of body hair can be gathered. When head hair is mentioned, it specifically means scalp hair. Body hair encompasses all other types (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
There are four critical steps in laboratory drug test result processing: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning concerns the primary handling of a sample within a lab’s infrastructure. This process involves ensuring the sample was appropriately sealed and dispatched, allocating a unique LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and executing any supplementary data entry omitted by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening is an initial rapid evaluation for drugs of abuse. Although Screening is economically efficient for excluding drug use in most samples, a positive result needs to be validated for court acceptability. Samples showing a presumptive positive in Screening necessitate a follow-up confirmation.
If a sample displays a presumptive positive in Screening, further hair is extracted from the initial batch for the Extraction stage. Here, drugs are withdrawn from hair at a notably lower level than in alternative techniques (e.g., urine or oral fluid), making hair drug screening the most challenging method to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening result is performed through GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All samples with presumptive positives are cleansed before confirmation if required. The laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation undergoes scrutiny under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair standards and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Although commonly known as "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Hair follicle testing stands as a superior alternative to urine testing in Lawrenceburg, IN. Advantages include:
The extended detection window offered by hair follicle testing in Lawrenceburg, IN spans up to 90 days.
With a focus on tamper-resistant measures, hair follicle testing in Lawrenceburg, IN minimizes the risks of sample corruption. This reliable testing process safeguards against adulteration, ensuring results that stakeholders can trust. The robust nature of hair testing not only deters manipulation attempts but also fortifies the integrity of the drug testing process across various industries and applications.
The convenience of our nationwide testing centers extends to Lawrenceburg, IN, offering seamless access to drug testing services.
The hair follicle testing process in Lawrenceburg, IN is simple and confidential.
Offering affordable pricing and fast turnaround in Lawrenceburg, IN, our hair testing services deliver great value.
In Lawrenceburg, IN, hair follicle drug tests are lauded for their speed and accuracy in pinpointing substance use.
Employers in Lawrenceburg, IN gain compliance and peace of mind through hair follicle testing.
