External Contamination
Definition
External contamination is material introduced onto a specimen from outside its original biological or physical system. In hair toxicology, it is distinguished from proposed incorporation during growth, although sampling and treatment may not completely separate those possible histories.
Related terms
- Decision Cutoff
- A threshold defined for a particular assay and interpretation purpose. A cutoff separates stated result categories under a particular validated protocol. Its...
- Decontamination
- Decontamination is a defined treatment intended to reduce unwanted material from a surface, item or working environment. Its effectiveness and effects on...
- Proximal End
- The end nearest the scalp or body at collection when orientation is known. Hair formation, retention and shedding involve different structures and...
- Segmental Analysis
- Segmental hair analysis examines separately defined portions of an oriented hair sample to assess how measured findings vary along its length. Sampling...
Explained in
- Hair as a Source of DNA and Toxicological InformationChemical material deposited from outside rather than inferred systemic incorporation.