Fingernail Drug Testing - USDTL

Fingernail Drug Testing

Highly stable, simple to collect, and easy to ship and store, fingernails provide a test sample at the cutting edge of drug and alcohol testing. Fingernails are made up of keratin, the same material that hair is made of. As the nail grows, substances can pass from the blood vessels below the nail into the keratin fibers, where they become trapped. Fingernails are four times thicker than the typical strand of hair and often capture more substance than hair can. Drug and alcohol biomarkers may be detectable in fingernails for up to approximately 3-6 months. Environmental exposure to illicit substances can be detected immediately in nail samples. When drugs or alcohol are ingested, biomarkers can be found in nails as early as 1-2 weeks after. The time period during which drug or alcohol ingestion can be detected depends on the substance used, the amount used, and personal metabolism. Fingernail specimens are clipped and collected by the donor in front of a trained collection staff member. A clipping of 2-3 mm long (about the width of a quarter) from all ten fingernails will give about 100 mg of specimen, the ideal amount for screening and confirmation. Larger profiles may require more. We recommend weighing the specimen on a jeweler’s scale.

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Drug Panels

For a printable PDF click here.

• 18 Panel
• 13 Panel
• 5 Panel

Amphetamines amphetamine, MDA, MDEA, MDMA, methamphetamine Cannabinoids carboxy-Δ9-THC Cocaines benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, cocaine, norcocaine Opiates 6-MAM, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, norhydrocodone Phencyclidine phencyclindine (PCP) Benzodiazepines alprazolam, diazepam, midazolam, nordiazepam, oxazepam, temazepam Barbiturates amobarbital, butalbital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital, secobarbital Methadone EDDP, methadone Oxycodone noroxycodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone Meperidine normeperidine Tramadol tramadol Fentanyl acetyl fentanyl, acetyl norfentanyl, fentanyl, norfentanyl Ketamine ketamine, norketamine Buprenorphine buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine Zolpidem zolpidem (e.g. Ambien®) Kratom 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine Gabapentin gabapentin Xylazine hydroxy-xylazine, xylazine

*Click the green and white plus sign beside each drug class to view the substances within each class.

Add-Ons Available

Cotinine cotinine, nicotine Diphenhydramine diphenhydramine EtG (Direct Ethanol Biomarker) ethyl glucuronide (EtG) Gabapentin gabapentin High-Potency Opioids (HPOs) 6-β-Naltrexol (naltrexone metabolite), butorphanol (e.g. Stadol®), nalbuphine (e.g. Nubain®), naloxone (e.g. Narcan®), naltrexone (e.g. Revia®) Kratom 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine Medetomidine medetomidine Phenibut phenibut Propofol Glucuronide propofol glucuronide (e.g. Diprivan®) Psilocin psilocin Tianeptine tianeptine, tianeptine MC5 Xylazine hydroxy-xylazine, xylazine

Collection

Collection Instructions

Client Services

By Phone: 1.800.235.2367

Business Hours (CST)

Monday 7am-7pm Tuesday 7am-7pm Wednesday 7am-7pm Thursday 7am-7pm Friday 7am-7pm Saturday 8am-5pm

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Testing Details

Collection Resources

• Fingernail Collection Instructions
• Fingernail Collection Training Video  
• Fingernail Fact Sheet 
• Fingernail Resources

D/L Methamphetamine Isomer Testing

D/L Methamphetamine Isomer Testing is available upon request for specimens that test positive for methamphetamine.

Nail Testing

Panel Name: Nail Testing

Panel Description: Nail Testing Drug Panel

Type: Profile

Matrix: Nail

Collection Container:  Foil and tamper-evident sealed envelope

Specimen Requirements:  For all tests below a 10-panel, specimen volume should be at least 100mg of specimen. This is equal to at least 2mm of fingernail (the width of a quarter) from all 10 fingers. For EtG, add-ons, and/or any tests 10-panel and above, at least 150mg of specimen should be submitted. We recommend weighing the specimen on a gem scale.

Storage Conditions: Room Temperature

Transport Conditions: Ambient

Method: Initial screen and confirmation

Turnaround Time: Generally, the standard turnaround time for reporting negative screening test results is the next business day, with an additional 1-2 business days for specimens that require confirmatory testing. Turnaround time begins from receipt of the valid specimen –accompanied by a properly documented valid order– into the laboratory. Some tests require additional time to process and will fall outside the standard turnaround time window.

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• References
• Articles
• FAQs
• White Papers

No items found.

Nailing Drug & Alcohol Testing 03-Aug-2015

Quantity Not Sufficient 11-Nov-2016

Testing Nails for Drugs 01-Oct-2012

The Human Service Center Announces Benefits of Biomarker Program: Improves Recovery and Reduces Recidivism in Repeat Intoxicated Drivers 21-Oct-2016

The Long Game 02-Feb-2015

The Window of Detection When Using Fingernail Clippings For Drug Testing 01-Jan-2013

Wisconsin First To Test Repeat Drunken Drivers With Alcohol Biomarkers 21-Mar-2016

Nail Samples Show Wider History of Drug Use Than Urine 12-May-2020

A Moment In Time 02-Feb-2015

A Testimony from the field: Use The Right Test to find the Best Answer 28-Jul-2016

Alcohol Abuse: How Useful Are Fingernails for Monitoring Long-term Exposure? 01-Jun-2013

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Psilocin: An Annotated Bibliography 25-Jun-2025