ANALYSIS OF PHENCYCLIDINE AND COCAINE IN HUMAN HAIR BY TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A confirmation procedure for the analysis of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine, and phencyclidine (PCP) in human hair using tandem mass spectrometry has been developed. This procedure requires no solvent extraction and thus can examine the metabolites of drugs such as cocaine. Hairs from six cocaine users were examined and the amount of cocaine and its ratio to the metabolites was not correlated to the reported use pattern. Only PCP was detected in the hair from a PCP user, no metabolites were found. In passive exposure experiments. hair was found to tightly absorb PCP from aqueous solutions, which mimics the incorporation of PCP by the body. These results indicate that drugs may be absorbed onto the hair of nonusers and become tightly bound.