Abstract
After external decontamination, the extraction of amphetamine (AP), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA) from hair and fingernails was accomplished via hot alkaline hydrolysis (1 ml 1 N NaOH, 10 min at 95°C) in the presence of deuterated internal standards, followed by a three-step extraction procedure. The target drugs were derivatized by propionylation and analyzed by GC/MS operated in the electronic impact mode. Results indicated that AP, MDA and MDMA were present in both hair and fingernails. Their concentrations, slightly higher in fingernails than in head hair, were 10.2 and 12.0 ng/mg for AP, 8.0 and 9.7 ng/mg for MDA and 53.4 and 60.2 ng/mg for MDMA in head hair and in fingernails, respectively.
References
Baumgartner WA, Hill VA, Blahd WH (1989) Hair analysis for drugs of abuse. J Forens Sci 34: 1433–1453
Kintz P, Cirimele V, Tracqui A, Mangin P (1995) Simultaneous determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylene-dioxyamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in human hair by GC/MS. J Chromatogr Biomed Appl (in press)
Mieczkowski T, Newel N (1993) Comparing hair and urine assays for cocaine and marijuana. Fed Proc 67: 59–67
Miller M, Martz R, Donnelly B (1994) Drugs in keratin samples from hair, fingernails and toenails. In Second International Meeting on Clinical and Forensic Aspect of Hair Analysis [Abstract], Genoa, Italy, June 6–8, p 39
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cirimele, V., Kintz, P. & Mangin, P. Detection of amphetamines in fingernails: an alternative to hair analysis. Arch Toxicol 70, 68–69 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03035462
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03035462