ults are 100% accurate and will hold up in court and are forensically defensible.
The preferred hair used in drug testing is head hair:
The collection center would cut approximately 120 strands of hair as close to the scalp as possible. All of the hair would be sent to the lab but they would only use the first 1 1/2". The hair is wrapped in a piece of foil, oriented to show which part is closest to the scalp. Hair can be tested as short as 1/2" but more hair would be needed. The amount of hair required would resemble the size of a cotton ball. It is possible that the donor won't have enough head hair length.
In that case, body hair would have to be used:
Body hair will yield approximately 9 - 12 months of drug use history.
It takes approximately 7 - 12 days for the drug to be present in the hair follicle.
The form is called a Custody and Control Form (CCF). This is a five part form with copies going to the donor, the donor's employer/attorney, the collector, the Quest Diagnostics Lab and the Medical Review Officer (MRO). This form is signed and dated by both the collector and the donor.
The hair is never taken out of the sight of the donor. After the hair is wrapped in the foil, it is placed in an envelope, signed by the donor and sealed with a tamper-proof tape. This tape is also signed and dated. The envelope, along with the Lab and MRO copy of the Custody and Control Form, is placed into another envelope and sealed. This is then placed in a FedEx envelope and sealed again. This whole process is done in front of the donor.
There are two different types of hair tests. The newest test has the added advantage of detecting additional opioids as well as synthetic and semi-synthetic opiates.
Standard Hair Test will Detect the following:
- MDA (Methylenedioxy-Amphetamine)
- MDMA - Ecstasy (Methylenedioxy-Methamphetamine)
- Heroin Metabolite (6-Monoacetylmorphine or 6-MAM)
Hair Test with Expanded Opiates will detect the following in addition to the above drugs:
Court ordered drug testing
Child Custody/Child Support
Doctors licensed to prescribe Suboxone (Opioid treatment drug)
Spouses (confirm spouse is abstaining from their drug of choice)
Teens (pre and post treatment testing)
- The donor goes to the Quest Collection Center to provide a hair sample
- The specimen is overnighted to the Quest Diagnostics lab by Fed-ex
- It will arrive at the lab on the next day
- If results are negative, the results are typically received the day after receipt by the lab
- If the lab detects non-negative results, they will take several more days to finalize. During this time, the lab (Medical Review Officer) will attempt to talk to the donor. This is a check to see if any of the drug(s) they found are there by legal prescription. If the donor can provide a prescription number, the test results will not reflect that drug
The hair testing process will detect drugs used over the past 90 days (+/- due to hair growth speed). It will not pinpoint exact drug use history.