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 abu se 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 u se of a robot ASPEC allowed us to drop certain fastidious manipulations, an d to treat a large number of samples at a time. This method is described, a long with analysis by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selec ted ion monitoring mode (SIM), for the following drugs: codeine, 6-monoacet ylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine, cocaine, methadone, ecstasy (MDMA) and Eve (M DE). This requires prior derivatization with propionic anhydride. The diffe rent validation parameters, linearity, repeatability, recovery and detectio n limits are described, as well as the application of this method to some r eal cases. Analysis of these cases is also performed by an ion trap GC/MS i n chemical ionization mode (GC/IT/CI/MS) in order to demonstrate the useful ness 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 identifica tion of metabolites. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights rese rved.