Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing has emerged as an effective mechanism for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair captures a prolonged timeline of substance use by encasing biomarkers within the strands of growing hair. When collected near the scalp, a hair sample can offer up to an approximate 3-month period for detecting various substances such as alcohol and drugs. Hair collection is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and easy to transport.
A 1.5-inch portion of around 200 hair strands (akin to the thickness of a #2 pencil) from near the scalp yields 100mg of hair, ideal for both screening and confirmation. For EtG, add-ons, and/or tests exceeding 10 panels, a 150mg sample is advisable. We suggest measuring the sample with a jeweler’s scale. In the absence of scalp hair, an equivalent quantity of body hair can be collected. "Head hair" pertains exclusively to scalp hair, while "body hair" encompasses all other types (such as facial and axillary).
Process Overview
The laboratory processing of drug test results follows four fundamental steps: Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning marks the initial phase of integrating a specimen within a laboratory’s framework. This process entails confirming the proper sealing and shipping of the sample, assigning it a LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number) randomly, and completing any supplementary data entry not accommodated by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening serves as a preliminary, rapid evaluation for drug abuse signs. While it is a cost-efficient method to exclude drug use among most samples, a court-admissible positive screen mandates confirmation. Samples presumptively positive during Screening necessitate a follow-up confirmation.
In cases of presumptive positives during Screening, additional hair is extracted from the initial specimen for the Extraction phase. This phase involves extracting drugs from hair at significantly lower concentrations compared to other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), hence hair drug screening is notably demanding.
To verify any positive screening outcome, techniques like GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS are employed during Confirmation. Prior to Confirmation, presumptive positive samples undergo cleansing as applicable. The entire process from Accessioning to Confirmation is evaluated under the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and holds accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Advantages of hair drug testing:
Limitations:
Note: Despite being labeled as "hair follicle tests", the analysis targets the hair strand rather than the follicle beneath the scalp.
Why Hair Follicle Testing Beats Urine Testing in Lyndon Station, WI
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