Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for investigations on single hair samples to solve the contamination versus incorporation issue of hair analysis in the case of cocaine and methadone

• Published in: Analyst (London) Vol. 145; no. 14; pp. 4906 - 4919
• Main Authors: Erne, Robert, Bernhard, Laetitia, Kawecki, Maciej, Baumgartner, Markus R., Kraemer, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 21.07.2020
• Subjects: Chromatography, Liquid; Cocaine; Contamination; Decontamination; Desorption; Differentiation; Hair; Hair Analysis; Investigations; Ionization; Ions; Lasers; Mass spectrometry; Metabolites; Methadone; Rubbing; Scientific imaging; Secondary ion mass spectrometry; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion; Spectroscopy; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Drug testing in hair is a controversial subject of discussion. Claims that decontamination protocols could generate false-positive samples, by washing contamination in hair, have unsettled many toxicologists. At least for zolpidem (known for showing only minor contamination), it could be shown that...