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Insights into the decontamination of cocaine-positive hair samples


Erne, Robert; Baumgartner, Markus R; Kraemer, Thomas (2021). Insights into the decontamination of cocaine-positive hair samples. Journal of analytical toxicology, 45(7):713-721.

Abstract

A highly discussed step in hair sample preparation for forensic analytics is the applied decontamination. The here presented investigations aim to gain insight and give recommendations on how to conduct this decontamination for the analysis of cocaine consumption in hair. Key insights were gained from the investigation of cocaine consumer hair, which was artificially contaminated in a humid atmosphere with 13C6 labelled cocaine and from cocaine powder contaminated hair. Several decontamination protocols were investigated, whereby the usage of a decontamination protocol consisting of multiple short repetitive washes allowed to visualize the wash-out of (13C6-) cocaine. Multiple methanol washes proved to be an efficient and simple decontamination approach. Our findings showed that decontamination protocols can successfully wash-out recent cocaine contaminations. They were observed to be rather quickly washed-out, whereas cocaine from consumption or “older” cocaine contaminations were shown to eliminate both at a constant rate (from inner hair compartments). Thus, the usage of decontamination protocols to differentiate between consumption and contamination was shown to be limited. As contamination can happen any time at any level, only the application of elaborated decision trees, based on cocaine metabolite ratios and thresholds, can provide the distinction between consumption and contamination. Thus, the authors highly recommend the usage of such tools on all hair samples analyzed for cocaine consumption.

Abstract

A highly discussed step in hair sample preparation for forensic analytics is the applied decontamination. The here presented investigations aim to gain insight and give recommendations on how to conduct this decontamination for the analysis of cocaine consumption in hair. Key insights were gained from the investigation of cocaine consumer hair, which was artificially contaminated in a humid atmosphere with 13C6 labelled cocaine and from cocaine powder contaminated hair. Several decontamination protocols were investigated, whereby the usage of a decontamination protocol consisting of multiple short repetitive washes allowed to visualize the wash-out of (13C6-) cocaine. Multiple methanol washes proved to be an efficient and simple decontamination approach. Our findings showed that decontamination protocols can successfully wash-out recent cocaine contaminations. They were observed to be rather quickly washed-out, whereas cocaine from consumption or “older” cocaine contaminations were shown to eliminate both at a constant rate (from inner hair compartments). Thus, the usage of decontamination protocols to differentiate between consumption and contamination was shown to be limited. As contamination can happen any time at any level, only the application of elaborated decision trees, based on cocaine metabolite ratios and thresholds, can provide the distinction between consumption and contamination. Thus, the authors highly recommend the usage of such tools on all hair samples analyzed for cocaine consumption.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:04 Faculty of Medicine > Institute of Legal Medicine
Dewey Decimal Classification:340 Law
610 Medicine & health
510 Mathematics
Scopus Subject Areas:Physical Sciences > Analytical Chemistry
Physical Sciences > Environmental Chemistry
Life Sciences > Toxicology
Physical Sciences > Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Physical Sciences > Chemical Health and Safety
Uncontrolled Keywords:Toxicology, Analytical Chemistry, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Chemical Health and Safety, Environmental Chemistry
Language:English
Date:14 August 2021
Deposited On:21 Dec 2020 14:42
Last Modified:25 Sep 2023 01:39
Publisher:Preston Publications
ISSN:0146-4760
OA Status:Hybrid
Free access at:PubMed ID. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkaa143
PubMed ID:33002114
  • Content: Published Version
  • Language: English
  • Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)