Proficiency test for the analysis of hair for drugs of abuse, organized by the Society of Hair Testing

Abstract

Eighteen laboratories interested in the analysis of human hair for drugs of abuse participated in a proficiency test (PT) organized by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) in 2001. Samples sent to the participants included one drug-free hair sample and two samples from drug users, sent in the form of short segments previously checked for homogeneity by three reference laboratories. Participants were requested to analyze the samples following the standard procedure used routinely in their laboratories. The compounds present in the samples included opiates, cocaine and metabolite, cannabinoids and amphetamines. All the laboratories analyzed opiates, cocaine and benzoylecgonine (BE); only 10 analyzed amphetamines, and 9 cannabinoids. Various methods were used to extract drugs from the hair—enzyme treatment, acidic, basic and methanol extractions. All the laboratories employed GC–MS, with the exception of two which used GC–MS/MS and LC–MS/MS, respectively. Six laboratories performed initial screening tests by RIA, ELISA or EMIT. Results show that the laboratories performed well qualitatively, since they successfully identified all the analytes that they tested, with the exception of eight false results. However, the scatter of quantitative results was high.