Amphetamines in Workplace Testing Hair Samples over the Years 2011-2020

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Drug Analysis
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Workplace drug testing is crucial for maintaining safety and productivity.
• Hair analysis offers a long-term perspective on drug use compared to urine tests.
• Amphetamines (AMPs), including methamphetamine (METH) and MDMA, are frequently misused substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in amphetamine (AMP) use over a decade using workplace hair samples.
• To investigate changes in methamphetamine (METH) and MDMA concentrations and metabolite ratios.
• To assess variations in drug ingestion patterns over a 10-year period.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of thousands of workplace head and body hair samples collected over 10 years.
• Extensive washing protocol applied to all samples to remove external contamination.
• Confirmation of parent drugs and metabolites using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Main Results:

• Significant year-to-year variations observed in methamphetamine (METH) concentrations.
• Significant fluctuations in the ratios of metabolite to parent drug for both METH and MDMA.
• Detection of amphetamine (AMP) as a metabolite, sometimes without the parent drug present.

Conclusions:

• While overall methamphetamine (METH) use rates appear stable, the specific drug profiles and ingestion patterns have evolved.
• Hair analysis provides valuable insights into long-term drug use trends and variations.
• The study highlights the dynamic nature of illicit drug use and the importance of comprehensive analytical methods.