Urine| Hair Follicle | Oral Fluid | Blood | ETG
Hair testing is regarded as a potent means for identifying drug and alcohol consumption. Hair acts as a lengthy record of alcohol and other substances, capturing biomarkers within the fibers of the maturing hair strand. When gathered near the scalp, hair can offer approximately a 3-month detection period for alcohol and other substances. Hair collection is straightforward, somewhat resistant to tampering, and convenient to transport.
A 1.5-inch segment consisting of around 200 strands of hair (roughly the thickness of a #2 pencil) near the scalp will provide 100mg of hair, the perfect amount for screening and verification. For EtG, additional tests, and/or panels exceeding 10, 150mg of the sample is advised. Using a jeweler’s scale is recommended for weighing the sample. If scalp hair is absent, a comparable quantity of body hair can be gathered. When indicating head hair, it pertains solely to scalp hair. Body hair indicates all other hair varieties (facial, axillary, etc.).
Process Overview
The four primary phases in the laboratory processing of a drug test outcome are Accessioning, Screening, Extraction, and Confirmation.
Accessioning comprises the early handling of a sample into a laboratory’s network. This entails confirming that the sample was properly sealed and dispatched, allocating a random LAN (Laboratory Accessioning Number), and performing any extra data input not supplied by an electronic chain of custody system.
Screening entails an initial swift assessment for drug abuse. While Screening offers a cost-effective method to exclude drug use on most samples, a positive screen must be verified to be permissible in court. Any samples that are preliminarily positive in Screening require subsequent confirmation.
If a sample is initially positive in the Screening phase, additional hair is extracted from the primary sample and readied for Extraction. In this phase, drugs are extracted from hair at a considerably lesser concentration than in other methods (e.g., urine or oral fluid), which is why hair drug screening represents the most challenging method to execute.
Verification of any positive screening result is performed using GC/MS, GC/MS/MS, or LC/MS/MS. All initially positive samples undergo washing before confirmation as needed. The complete laboratory procedure from Accessioning to Confirmation is scrutinized under both the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Hair designation and the accreditation to ISO / IEC 17025 standards.
Benefits of hair drug testing:
Drawbacks:
Note: Although frequently termed "hair follicle tests", the examination itself scrutinizes the hair strand and not the hair follicle beneath the scalp
The Advantages of Hair Testing over Urine Testing in Bitter Creek, WY
The Extended Detection Window in Bitter Creek, WY
Tamper-Resistant Testing in Bitter Creek, WY
Convenient Testing Locations in Bitter Creek, WY
Simple and Confidential Process in Bitter Creek, WY
Affordable and Quick Service in Bitter Creek, WY
Fast Results in Bitter Creek, WY
Ensuring Compliance and Peace of Mind in Bitter Creek, WY