Drug, alcohol and DNA testing: frequently asked questions
Have questions on the testing process? We can help.
At Lextox, we have worked with thousands of solicitors across the UK to support family law cases with legally defensible drug, alcohol and DNA testing.
Our dedicated client managers support at every stage of the process to ensure a hassle-free service so you can rest assured you are instructing the analysis that best supports your case.
We understand navigating drug, alcohol and DNA testing can raise plenty of questions so we’ve compiled the answers to our most popular queries.
Hair grows at an average rate of one cm per month, therefore, a three cm section of scalp hair will provide an approximate time period of three months. The time period that a hair sample can cover is dependent on the length of hair that is available. If someone was to have 12cm of hair, then a hair drug test could cover the past year
A month by month analysis will section the hair into approximate individual months covering the length of the hair that requires analysis. For example, if a hair drug test was to cover six months, a month by month analysis will provide six individual results for each approximate monthly period. This is especially useful if you need to obtain a trend in drug use, i.e. to see a decrease or increase in drug use over time, or highlight particular months where drugs were or not detected.
An overview of a six month drug test will provide you with two results, one for the first three months and another for the second three months. Therefore, the overview analysis will provide a general result of drug use within a time period and not to an individual month. An overview analysis is beneficial if you only need to obtain a general indication of drug use or abstinence.
A full list of the drugs we test for can be found here.
Currently the recommended length of hair that an alcohol in hair test can cover is either the past three months or the past six months. This is in line with the Society of Hair Testing Consensus for the Use of Alcohol Markers in Hair for Supporting the Assessment of Abstinence and Chronic Alcohol Consumption.
EtPa is produced by the body in the presence of alcohol, EtG is produced via the liver. EtG is soluble in water and as such is susceptible to be leached out of the hair through normal hygiene practices or through the use of cosmetic treatments (hair dyes). EtPa is not soluble in water, however is still sensitive to hair treatments.
EtPa and EtG are different markers that when used together can provide a greater degree of confidence when assessing an individual’s chronic excessive alcohol consumption. Either test may be used in isolation, however this rules out the mutual confirmation of results.
Lextox has taken guidance from the Society of Hair Testing Consensus for the Use of Alcohol Markers in Hair for Supporting the Assessment of Abstinence and Chronic Alcohol Consumption and provides ethyl palmitate (FAEE) and EtG analysis as a combined test as standard for the mutual exclusion of false positives and false negatives.
It is also recommended that the alcohol in hair test is used in conjunction with blood alcohol tests (liver function, CDT and PEth) to help obtain a more comprehensive picture of an individual’s alcohol use.
Why choose Lextox?
We have a team of dedicated client managers, ready to advise you on testing options, sample collections, pricing and much more. Our client managers provide a hassle-free, fully managed service from the moment you instruct us so you can devote more time to your casework. It’s like having an extra member of your team.
The only item you need on your check list is a Lextox client manager.
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