Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair analysis has emerged as an influential means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged record of alcohol and other substances by encasing biomarkers within the fibers of the developing hair shaft. When procured near the scalp, hair can offer a detection window of up to roughly 3 months for alcohol and other substances. Hair is effortless to gather, relatively hard to tamper with, and uncomplicated to transport.
A sample sizing 1.5 inches of around 200 hair strands (comparable to the diameter of a #2 pencil) nearest to the scalp provides 100mg of hair, which is the optimum quantity for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, supplementary tests, and/or examinations exceeding 10 panels, 150mg of the hair sample is suggested. Utilizing a jeweler’s scale for weighing the specimen is advisable. If head hair is unavailable, an equivalent quantity of body hair may be gathered. When mentioning head hair, we refer to scalp hair exclusively. Body hair alludes to other hair forms (facial, axillary, etc.).
Overview of the Procedure
The procedure for processing a drug test result in a laboratory encompasses four principal stages: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning entails the preliminary integration of a sample within a laboratory’s system. This step includes ensuring the sample was properly sealed and dispatched, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and completing any further data entry not covered by an electronic chain of custody protocol.
Screening consists of an initial cursory inspection for substances of abuse. Screening is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug usage in most samples; however, a positive screen necessitates confirmation for court acceptance. Any samples tentatively positive in Screening mandate a secondary verification.
In the event a sample is tentatively positive after Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial sample and readied for Extraction. At this phase, drugs are isolated from hair at a significantly lower concentration compared to other methodologies (e.g., urine or saliva), rendering hair drug screening the most challenging methodology to execute.
Confirmation of any positive screening outcome is performed via GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All presumptive positive samples are cleansed before confirmation, as required. The complete laboratory process from Accessioning to Confirmation is assessed under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Often termed as "hair follicle tests", the examination actually measures the hair strand, not the hair follicle beneath the scalp.
In Casar, NC, hair follicle testing outperforms traditional urine tests due to its enhanced detection capabilities and reliability.
The benefits of hair testing over urine tests include superior detection accuracy and a more extended window of time for substance detection.
Hair follicle testing in Casar, NC, offers an extended detection window, capturing drug use over a period of up to 90 days.
This gives employers a broader perspective on an individual's substance use history, enhancing informed decision-making regarding employment.
Employing a tamper-resistant method, hair follicle tests in Casar, NC, significantly lower the chances of sample adulteration, ensuring integrity.
This reliable testing method provides results that clients can trust, as tampering with hair samples is substantially more difficult than with other methods.
The convenience of nationwide and local testing locations in Casar, NC, ensures access to reliable testing services.
Our broad network of testing centers allows for easy and hassle-free testing procedures, accommodating busy schedules with minimal delay.
In Casar, NC, the process for hair follicle testing is straightforward and confidential, designed to protect privacy.
Ordering, completing, and receiving results is managed with simplicity, securing client confidentiality at each step.
Offering competitive pricing structures, hair follicle testing in Casar, NC, provides excellent value for companies of all sizes.
Combined with fast turnaround times, this service offers an affordable solution, delivering results swiftly without compromising on quality.
Combining speed with accuracy, hair follicle drug testing in Casar, NC, guarantees fast and precise results. Each test is conducted to detect substance use efficiently and with a high degree of accuracy.
The testing process ensures that results are both accurate and swift, which is invaluable for urgent testing needs, providing peace of mind with prompt insight.
Hair follicle testing in Casar, NC, supports employers in achieving compliance with drug-free workplace policies.
This method not only helps in maintaining legal standards but also enhances workplace safety, providing peace of mind by assuring a drug-free environment.