Hair Follicle Drug Testing
Hair testing has emerged as a potent instrument for the identification of drug and alcohol misuse. The hair strand serves as a long-term record of drug and alcohol misuse, as it captures and stores biomarkers within its fibers as it grows. When harvested near the scalp, hair can provide an up-to-three-month history of drug and alcohol misuse. The collection of hair samples is straightforward, challenging to tamper with, and simple to transport.
Hair Detection Times
For optimal screening and confirmation results, a 1.5-inch sample of approximately 200 hair strands (around the thickness of a #2 pencil) collected closest to the scalp provides an ideal 100mg hair specimen. For Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) add-ons, and/or tests requiring more than 10 panels, a 150mg sample is recommended. We suggest utilizing a jeweler's scale to accurately weigh the sample.
In cases where scalp hair is not available, an equivalent amount of body hair can be collected as an alternative. Please note that when we mention head hair, we are specifically referring to hair from the scalp. Body hair includes all other hair types (facial, axillary, etc.)
ALL DRUGS
Head Hair
Body Hair
DETECTION PERIOD
Up to 3 months
Up to 12 months
Collection Amount For 5-Panel
A 1.5-inch sample of about 200 strands of hair closest to the scalp will give 100mg of hair.
Child Guard Hair Exposure Drug Testing
Child exposure to illicit substance abuse often coincides with numerous additional hurdles that impede a normal life – such as neglect, abuse, and exposure to violence. Substance misuse, a disease in itself, can often inhibit adults from acting in the best interests of a child. Therefore, identifying these hazardous environments is critical to safeguarding the child's wellbeing. By utilizing Child Guard testing, we can bridge gaps left by other exposure drug tests.
Child Guard stands out as the sole drug test designed to detect passive exposure to drugs. It differentiates between native drugs and drug metabolites in hair samples. Drug metabolites are only produced in the body when drugs have been ingested. As children in drug-exposed environments are usually not drug users themselves, drug metabolites are generally absent during drug exposure testing. Traditional hair tests conducted by other labs often report a positive exposure result only if drug metabolites are detected, despite the presence of the native drug in the child's hair sample.
Child Guard, however, reports a positive result if either native drugs or drug metabolites are detected, providing a comprehensive insight into the child's environment. This method is capable of documenting evidence of substance use in a child's environment over the past three months and can be performed on donors of all ages.
A positive Child Guard test result indicates that the donor may have encountered one or more of the following situations:
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Exposure to drug smoke
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Contact with sweat or sebum (skin oil) of a drug user
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Contact with the actual drug
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Accidental or intentional ingestion of the drug(s)
