Drugs and driving: a systematic analytical approach
Crouch, D.J.; Peat, M.A.; Chinn, D.M.; Finkle, B.S.
Journal of Forensic Sciences 28(4): 945-956
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1198 PMID: 6631372 Document Number: 220586
To collect useful epidemiological data about drug involvement in highway safety, it is essential that sensitive and specific analytical procedures be used to establish the presence of and to determine the concentrations of drugs and metabolites in samples collected from drivers. This paper describes a comprehensive and systematic screening procedure requiring 6 mL of blood, which has been used for the analysis of samples collected from injured and fatally injured drivers. The procedure uses radioimmunoassay, gas chromatography with selective detectors, and high performance liquid chromatography. Drugs and metabolites presumptively identified are then confirmed primarily using gas chromatography--chemical ionization mass spectrometry.