Abstract
Exhaled breath is commonly used in alcohol testing, but has been recently demonstrated by scientists from Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States to contain a large number of both volatile and non-volatile substances that can be measured using dedicated devices. ExaBreath® is a sampling device that collects the bio-aerosol particles from the donor. Approximately 2 min exhaled breath is enough for the test. The device collects the very small bio-aerosols on a filter, which is consecutively incubated into methanol to release drugs at a laboratory. Four occasional cannabis smokers were recruited for this study. Oral fluid, collected with the Quantisal® device, and exhaled breath were simultaneously collected up to 6 h after smoking a standard joint of cannabis. ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was tested using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) or gas chromatography–MS/MS for exhaled breath and oral fluid, respectively. Linearity, precision and limit of quantification (5 pg/filter and 0.5 ng/mL for exhaled breath and oral fluid, respectively) were established. In each analytical batch, low and high controls were included. THC was identified in exhaled breath up to 6 h after smoking from all the four subjects, with concentrations in the range 15–1598 pg/filter. THC breath concentrations significantly decreased with time after smoking in all four participants. All the oral fluid specimens tested positive for THC over the 6 h of the study, with concentrations in the range 1–89 ng/mL. 11-Nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main metabolite of THC was also analysed, but was undetectable in both exhaled breath and oral fluid. This study gives further support to the possibility of using exhaled breath as a new matrix to document exposure to drugs, particularly for cannabis.
References
Kintz P (2011) Alternative matrices to urine. In: Verstraete A (ed) Workplace drug testing. Pharmaceutical Press, London, pp 187–215
Jones AW, Andersson L (2003) Comparison of ethanol concentrations in venous blood and end-expired breath during a controlled drinking study. Forensic Sci Int 132:18–25
Skoglund C, Hermansson U, Beck O (2015) Clinical trial of a new technique for drugs of abuse testing: a new possible sampling technique. J Subst Abuse Treat 48:132–136
Berchtold C, Bosilkovska M, Daali Y, Walder B, Zenobi R (2014) Real-time monitoring of exhaled drugs by mass spectrometry. Mass Spectrom Rev 33:394–413
Beck O, Sandqvist S, Dubbelboer I, Franck J (2011) Detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol in exhaled breath collected from cannabis users. J Anal Toxicol 35:541–544
Himes S, Scheidweiler K, Beck O, Gorelick D, Desrosiers N, Huestis M (2013) Cannabinoids in exhaled breath following controlled administration of smoked cannabis. Clin Chem 59:1780–1789
Coucke L, Massarini E, Ostijn Z, Beck O, Verstraete A (2016) ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations in exhaled breath and physiological effects following cannabis intake—a pilot study using illicit cannabis. Clin Biochem. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2016.06.003
Kintz P, Brunet B, Muller JF, Serra W, Villain M, Cirimele V, Mura P (2009) Evaluation of the Cozart DDSV test for cannabis in oral fluid. Ther Drug Monit 31:131–134
Lee D, Schwope DM, Milman G, Barnes AJ, Gorelick DA, Huestis MA (2012) Cannabinoid disposition in oral fluid after controlled smoked cannabis. Clin Chem 58:748–756
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kintz, P., Mura, P., Jamey, C. et al. Detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol in exhaled breath after cannabis smoking and comparison with oral fluid. Forensic Toxicol 35, 173–178 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-016-0333-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-016-0333-x