THE LAB CONNECTION, INC.

Hair is removed from the crown of the head and tested to determine drugs metabolized by the body. Hair 1½” in length will accurately test for drugs for, approximately, the past 90 days. Hair 1” in length can test for about 60 days.

If head hair is not long enough to make an adequate retrieval, then hair may be taken from the underarms, chest, leg, and pubic areas. These areas are referred to as "Body Hair."

Pubic hair will only be taken if agreeable by the donor or by Order of the Court.

Body hair can accurately test for drugs for up to 12 months as the growth is much slower and the hair falls out one at a time. Also, drug usage cannot be pinpointed to the last month or a year ago with body testing.

It is normally better to have crown hair cut close to the scalp to narrow the usage to the past 3 months. Our reporting procedures note the length of hair and we always take a picture of the client at the time they present for testing.

Cutoffs: A hair drug test result is derived from the completion of a "Screening Test" and in some cases, a second test called a "Confirmation Test". If a Screening Test result is below the Screening Cutoff concentration then the sample is reported as NEGATIVE. A Screening Test result above the Screening Cutoff concentration suggest that the hair specimen May contain drugs.

If it appears that the hair specimen MAY contain drugs a Confirmation Test is then performed using a new portion of the original sample. The Confirmation Test will only verify the presence of the drugs tested in the Screening Test. If the result of the Confirmation Test is below the Confirmation Cutoff concentration, then the sample is reported as NEGATIVE. When the result of the Confirmation Test is greater than the Confirmation Cutoff concentration, the sample is reported as POSITIVE.

If a Level of Detection test is ran than ANY level in the system will show as Positive (even if the level falls below the cutoff levels). This type of test is used when you want to know if ANY USAGE AT ALL has occurred the past three months (or year if using body hair).

Oral Fluids Testing is now offered by The Lab Connection, and is administered by obtaining a sample of the saliva from the donor. The results are instantaneous, and all positive tests are sent out for additional confirmation.

Oral fluids testing is more accurate than urinalysis because the saliva moves out of the mouth every two minutes making it extremely difficult to adulterate a sample.

The obtaining of a sample is non-invasive, and results of drugs are in the saliva for about two days. When hair follicle testing is not appropriate, and an instant result is necessary, the Oral Fluids test is the best alternative.

• Methamphetamine:

  If a sample tests positive for methamphetamine, 99% of the time it is a result from the street drug. For the other 1%, there can be several causes such as Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) medications (Adderall and Adavan) and a few other prescription medications for diet and/or weight loss. Over-the-counter medications such as Sudafed will not raise the level.

• Amphetamine:

  Tesing for amphetamines generally tests for stimulants such as Methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA (Ecstasy), etc. It is possible for an Asthma Inhaler such as Albuterol or a prescription drug for A.D.D., such as Ritalin, to raise the Amphetamine level slightly.

• Marijuana:

  Marijuana does not bind as tightly to the hair as does cocaine or methamphetamine, so it may not stay in the hair quite as long. The sooner the person is ordered to test, the better. A marijuana metabolite will range from approximately 0.1 - 10, therefore, for example, a 1.4 is definitely a positive but near the lower end of the spectrum.

• Cocaine:

  Benzoylecgonine is a metabolite of Cocaine, which appears once cocaine is broken down by the body. Therefore, if the metabolite is present, then the donor used the parent drug, Cocaine.

  Cocaethylene is also a metabolite of Cocaine and denotes the fact that the donor was drinking alcohol while using the parent drug, Cocaine.

• Opiates:

  Morphine, Codeine, Heroin.

• Extended Opiates:

  Refers to Hydrocodone (Vicodin and Lortab), Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and Oxycodone (Percocet/Percodan). A person taking Carisoprodol (Soma) and Hydrocodone (Vicodin) at the same time can cause the Opiates to be very high.

• Phencyclidine:

  Commonly referred to as "PCP," some over-the-counter drugs such as Robitussin can cause a false positive level.

• To be more efficient, The Lab Connection now tests for metabolites whenever possible to obtain a more accurate test result. The metabolites are created through the process of the body breaking down the parent drug into different chemicals which remain in the system longer than the parent drug itself.

  If a sample is positive for a metabolite of a parent drug, then the donor had to have ingested the parent drug. There is no way a person could have a metabolite in their system by being around people who were using the drug.

Many methods have been tried to thwart drug testing, and a few of the more common ones are as follows:

• Shampoo: The Lab Connection has personally tested several shampoos. While they do lessen the level, they do not lessen it enough to cause someone to test negative whey they are, in fact, positive.
• Bleach: If a person bleaches their hair to blond, or to the point of burning their hair, it can take the drug out of the the hair or, at least, lessen the level. In this case, it is better to test body hair.
• Creatinine: Any detection less than 20mg means that the donor has a lot of water in their system. This measures muscle metabolism and how concentrated, or not, the muscles are.
• Specific Gravity: This is the total dissolved solids, such as Creatinine, although a different type of test. Below the level would be diluted.