NCJ Number
246576
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2014 Pages: 281-286
Date Published
January 2014
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Three separate cases of child administration of prescription drugs are described.
Abstract
Three separate cases of child administration of prescription drugs are described. Following liquid-liquid extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry HPLC-MS/MS was used to identify and quantify methadone, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrrolidine EDDP, tramadol, amitriptyline, and nortriptyline in children's hair. The children's age ranged from 14 months to 7 years; in all three cases, the drug in question was detected in more than one section of hair. Methadone was detected in the concentration range of 0.65-0.99 and 0.04-0.4 ng/mg; tramadol was detected in the concentration range of 1.5-2.2 ng/mg; amitriptyline and nortriptyline were detected in the concentration range of 0.18-1.06 and 0.38-2.0 ng/mg, respectively. In each case, the children's parents admitted to or were found guilty of drug administration to the child. These cases demonstrate the added value of hair testing and emphasize the importance of using hair samples to complement conventional analyses. Abstract published by arrangement with Wiley.