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Hair testing and doping control in sport
1Université Louis Pasteur, Institut de Médecine Légale, Strasbourg, France.
Toxicology Letters
|February 18, 1999
Summary
Hair analysis offers a wider detection window than urine drug testing for identifying drug abuse. This method provides a longer historical view of substance use and should complement urine testing in doping control.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Toxicology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) on urine is the standard for doping control.
- Hair analysis has been explored for drug abuse identification over the past two decades.
- Hair analysis offers advantages in specimen collection and detection window.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate hair analysis as a complementary method for drug testing in doping control.
- To highlight the benefits of hair analysis for detecting patterns of drug abuse.
- To advocate for the inclusion of hair analysis in official doping control protocols.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on hair analysis for drug detection.
- Comparison of hair analysis with traditional urine testing methods.
- Discussion of specimen collection, detection windows, and data interpretation.
Main Results:
- Hair analysis provides a detection window of weeks to months, dependent on hair length.
- Specimens are collected non-invasively and without embarrassment.
- Hair analysis reveals historical drug use patterns, unlike single-point urine tests.
Conclusions:
- Hair analysis is a valuable tool for documenting drug abuse.
- It should be integrated with urine testing to enhance doping control effectiveness.
- While not yet IOC-recognized, its legal acceptance supports its utility.