Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is recognized as a potent method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. It offers a prolonged timeline of alcohol and drug usage by capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the growing hair. When obtained near the scalp, hair can deliver a detection period extending up to about three months for alcohol and drugs. Collecting hair is straightforward, moderately challenging to tamper with, and easily transportable.
A sample of 1.5 inches, consisting of roughly 200 strands of hair (similar in size to a #2 pencil) closest to the head provides 100mg of hair, which is ideal for examination and validation. For EtG, add-ons, or tests greater than 10 panels, 150mg of specimen is advised. It's recommended to weigh the specimen using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair isn't available, an equivalent amount of body hair can be collected. When we mention head hair, we specifically mean scalp hair. Body hair refers to other types of hair (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The primary steps in the laboratory handling of a drug test result involve Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning includes the preliminary processing of a sample into a lab's system. This encompasses confirming that the sample was securely sealed and shipped correctly, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finishing any extra data entry not included by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening provides an initial swift inspection for drugs of abuse. While Screening is a budget-friendly method to eliminate drug usage on most samples, a positive screen must be confirmed for legal admissibility. Any samples that are presumptively positive in Screening require a secondary confirmation.
If a sample shows presumptive positivity during Screening, more hair is extracted from the initial specimen and prepared for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are drawn from hair at considerably lower concentrations compared to other methodologies (e.g., urine or oral fluid), highlighting why hair drug screening is the most challenging methodology to conduct.
Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is carried out using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are rinsed before confirmation as necessary. The entire lab procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Though termed "hair follicle tests", the examination actually analyzes the hair strand, not the follicle beneath the scalp.
Hair follicle testing in Baker, MO outperforms traditional urine tests by offering superior detection accuracy and reliability.
With hair follicle testing in Baker, MO, drug use can be detected over a longer duration, up to 90 days, providing employers a detailed view of an individual's substance history.
Hair follicle tests in Baker, MO offer a tamper-resistant method, reducing the potential for sample adulteration significantly.
In Baker, MO, the convenience of nationwide testing centers offers swift and hassle-free access to hair follicle testing services.
The process of hair follicle testing in Baker, MO is both simple and confidential, addressing privacy concerns effectively.
Our competitive pricing and fast turnaround in Baker, MO make hair follicle testing both economical and efficient.
In Baker, MO, hair follicle drug tests stand out due to their speed and precision. Their remarkable accuracy in identifying substance use makes them highly reliable.
Employers in Baker, MO can achieve compliance and peace of mind with hair follicle testing by maintaining workplace drug-free policies.
