Analysis of drugs of abuse in hair by automated solid-phase extraction, GC/EI/MS and GC ion trap/CI/MS

In our laboratory, analysis of human hair for the detection of drugs of abuse was first performed in 1995. Initially, requests for hair analysis were few, and it is only since 1997 that these analyses have become routine. As demand grew, we developed an automatic solid-phase extraction method; the use of a robot ASPEC allowed us to drop certain fastidious manipulations, and to treat a large number of samples at a time. This method is described, along with analysis by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring mode (SIM), for the following drugs: codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine, cocaine, methadone, ecstasy (MDMA) and Eve (MDE). This requires prior derivatization with propionic anhydride. The different validation parameters, linearity, repeatability, recovery and detection limits are described, as well as the application of this method to some real cases. Analysis of these cases is also performed by an ion trap GC/MS in chemical ionization mode (GC/IT/CI/MS) in order to demonstrate the usefulness of this technique as a complement to routine analysis. Analysis by GC/IT/CI/MS indeed avoids the risk of false-positive results by the identification of metabolites. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.