Effect of the shampoo Ultra Clean on drug concentrations in human hair

The influence of the special shampoo Ultra Clean (Zydot Unlimited, Tulsa, O klahoma) on the results of hair analyses was investigated. Hair samples fro m persons (n = 14) with a known history of drug abuse were collected at aut opsy. The hair samples were divided into separate strands which were analyz ed both after washing with Ultra Clean and without treatment. Hair analyses were performed by methanol extraction under sonication,, purification by s olid phase extraction and GC/MS in SIM mode according to routine procedures for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, amphetamine, methylenedioxyamphet amine (MDA), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyethylamphe tamine (MDE), heroin, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine, codeine, dihy drocodeine and methadone. All drugs originally present in the hair fibers w ere still detected after a single application of Ultra Clean. However, a sl ight decrease in drug concentrations could mostly be observed e.g. cocaine (n = 10) -5%, 6-MAM (n = 12) -9%, morphine (n = 12) -26%, THC (n = 4) -36%. The findings clearly demonstrated that drug substances had not been suffic iently removed from human hair by a single Ultra Clean treatment to drop th eir concentrations below the limit of detection of the analytical method ap plied.