High risk of misinterpreting hair analysis results for children tested for methadone

Forensic Science International : Synergy
P KintzJean-Sébastien Raul

Abstract

The major problem after testing the hair of a child for drugs is the interpretation of the findings. In 2016, the laboratory received several hair specimens with the request to verify if there was any evidence of previous methadone exposure by the donor of the sample. Case 1 was a child admitted to the Emergency Unit for intense sedation and breathing difficulties. Cases 2-4 involved children found dead at home. In all cases, methadone and EDDP, its metabolite, were found in blood. After decontamination, the hair was analysed with LC-MS/MS for methadone and EDDP. The LOQ for both drugs was 10pg/mg. Concentrations were in the range 60-1590 and <10-220pg/mg for methadone and EDDP, respectively. In all of the cases, segmental analysis revealed approximately the same amount of drug along the hair lock. As a consequence, contamination was considered as an issue and interpretation of the results was a challenge that deserves particular attention. It must be considered that the amount of hair from children, available for analysis, can be low, particularly when several drugs have to be tested. This has consequences on the limit of quantitation and the identification of the metabolite(s). It must be also noted that hair from children is...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 4, 2020·Journal of Applied Toxicology : JAT·Christopher DaviesJoanne Morrissey
Mar 8, 2020·International Journal of Legal Medicine·Jean-François WiartJean-Michel Gaulier
Jul 28, 2020·Journal of Analytical Toxicology·Olaf H DrummerFritz Pragst
Jan 2, 2021·Forensic Science International : Synergy·Wing-Sum ChanBobbie Kwok-Keung Cheung
Feb 10, 2021·Journal of Forensic Sciences·Pascal KintzAlice Ameline
Feb 19, 2020·Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Sociéte française de pédiatrie·C PouchouxE Bosdure

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