Twenty-One Cases Involving Alpha-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP)

Twenty-one cases involving alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) were submitted between 2012 and 2015 to the Western Department of Forensic Science Laboratory. Eighteen suspected impaired driving cases were determined to have α-PVP concentrations <0.005-0.09 mg/L. Three fatalities during this period were determined to have α-PVP concentrations ranging from 0.03 to >20 mg/L. Human use of synthetic cathinones like α-PVP has been reported to induce psychological effects such as delusions, paranoia, hallucinations and deleterious cardiovascular effects. Quantitation was performed using a liquid-liquid extraction with detection by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization in a multiple reaction monitoring mode. The reported behaviors in the 18 suspected impaired driving cases ranged from central nervous system depression to eluding officers in a high speed chase. The mean and median DUID α-PVP concentrations were both 0.030 mg/L. The α-PVP concentrations in the three fatalities were determined to be 0.033, 0.054 and present >20 mg/L. In 18 DUID cases, only 4 cases reported side effects consistent with synthetic cathinones. Two of the three fatalities indicated histories of bath salt and/or recreational drug use. At this time, no correlation can be determined between side effects and α-PVP concentrations.