Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Failure of Cleaning Verification in Pharmaceutical Industry Due to Uncleanliness of Stainless Steel Surface
Published on: August 11, 2017
Cocaine contamination of banknotes: a review
Gianmarco Troiano1, Isabella Mercurio2, Marco Golfera1
1Post Graduate School of Public Health, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Background:
The analysis of drug traces on banknotes with different validated techniques can provide important information about the types of substances that are used in a geographical region. The aim of our review was to investigate banknotes' contamination by cocaine, by its metabolite, but also by other drugs.
Methods:
A systematic literature search (English written literature) was conducted in MEDLINE, and Scopus, collecting studies from 1974 till 2017. The Key search terms included: 'banknote AND drug'; 'banknote AND cocaine'.
Results:
The literature search yielded 88 publications; 9 were included in our review. In six studies that showed banknotes' positivity to cocaine, the percentage ranged from 2.5% to 100%. The concentration of cocaine ranged from 0.09 ng/note to 889 µg/note. Benzoylecgonine was indentified only in three studies with a range from 0.71 to 130 ng/note. Other indentified drugs were: amphetamine derivatives, opiates, benzodiazepines.
Conclusions:
Circulating banknotes could be used to indicate substances used in a population, and those recently introduced in a geographical macro-area. The identification of very high amounts of cocaine can provide important information for the identification of banknotes used in illegal trafficking.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Control Governance: Regulatory Bodies and Their Impact
Types of Coprecipitation
Sometimes, ions in a crystal lattice can undergo isomorphous replacement by inclusions of similar charge and size. For...
Stimulants
Cocaine can be administered via snorting, injection, or smoking. It primarily functions by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in a euphoric high characterized by an intense sensation of happiness and...
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
Drug-Receptor Bonds
In...

