Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as an effective method for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged history of drug and alcohol intake by embedding biomarkers within the fibrous structure of a growing hair strand. Captured proximate to the head, hair can offer nearly a 90-day timeframe for detecting drugs and alcohol. It is straightforward to collect, moderately resistant to tampering, and convenient to transport.
A sample length of 1.5 inches, roughly comprising 200 hair strands (approximately the girth of a #2 pencil) nearest the scalp, yields 100mg of hair, considered an optimal sample for both screening and confirmation steps. For EtG, additional screenings, and tests exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of hair is advisable. It's suggested to measure the sample using a jeweler’s scale. If scalp hair is not an option, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be obtained. When mentioning head hair, we strictly mean scalp hair. Body hair denotes other hair varieties (such as facial, axillary).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of a drug test involves four principal steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails integrating the sample into the lab’s system, ensuring it was properly sealed and sent, assigning it an arbitrary LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and finalizing any extra data entry absent in an electronic chain of custody.
Screening comprises an initial swift examination for drugs of abuse. Though it provides a cost-efficient strategy to negate drug use in most samples, positive screens need further confirmation for legal admissibility. Presumptively positive samples during Screening necessitate an additional confirmation step.
If a sample shows a preliminary positive during Screening, additional hair from the initial sample is processed for Extraction. This process extracts drugs from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other techniques (like urine or oral fluid), thus making hair drug analysis an intricate process.
Confirmation for any positive result from Screening is done using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. Every presumptive positive sample undergoes washing before confirmation as necessary. The comprehensive laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation adheres to both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair directive and ISO / IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Frequently labeled as "hair follicle tests", this testing method evaluates the hair strand and not the follicle beneath the scalp
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Lynchburg, MO elucidates the superior detection accuracy of hair tests over urine tests. Hair testing offers reliable results, capturing extended drug use patterns that traditional urine methods might miss.
Extended Detection Window in Lynchburg, MO discusses how hair follicle testing can trace substance use for up to 90 days, offering employers a thorough view of an individual's drug history. This method helps in evaluating long-term drug use.
Tamper-Resistant Testing Method in Lynchburg, MO emphasizes the reduced risk of sample tampering with hair follicle tests, which deliver dependable and indisputable results, ensuring a foolproof testing process.
Convenient Nationwide Testing Locations and Local Locations in Lynchburg, MO stress the widespread network of testing centers that guarantee swift and uncomplicated access to essential testing services.
Simple, Confidential Process in Lynchburg, MO details an uncomplicated and discreet procedure for ordering, undergoing, and receiving test results, while maintaining privacy concerns.
Affordable Pricing and Fast Turnaround in Lynchburg, MO highlight competitive pricing and swift result turnaround times, offering excellent value and peace of mind to businesses of varying sizes.
Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Results in Lynchburg, MO highlight the unmatched precision of hair follicle tests in identifying substance use efficiently. These tests ensure high accuracy, quickly providing trustworthy insights into drug consumption patterns.
Compliance and Peace of Mind for Employers in Lynchburg, MO underscores how using hair follicle testing aligns with zero-drug policies, lowering legal risks and boosting workplace safety with its thorough detection capabilities.
