Citation

Trafkowski J, Musshoff F, Madea B. Blutalkohol 2005; 42(6): 431-441.

Affiliation

Institut fur Rechtsmedizin, Universitat Bonn, 53111 Bonn, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Opiates were detected in eleven commercially available poppy seed products: Morphine concentration went up to 87.45 (mu)g/g, codeine up to 16.0 (mu)g/g, noscapine up to 1.57 (mu)g/g, papaverine up to 0.057 (mu)g/g. After consumption of 1/2 - 3 pieces of home made poppy seed cake (10 - 60 g of poppy seeds) positive immunoassay analyses were obtained up to 48 hours later. Morphine-3-glucuronide and morphine-6-glucuronide were detected by HPLC-MS/MS analysis, reaching concentrations of up to 20.3 (mu)g/ml urine. Maximum concentration of free morphine was 0.77 (mu)g/ml, with total morphine concentration reaching 17.0 (mu)g/ml, and total codeine concentration of up to 5.7 (mu)g/ml was detected 4-6 hours after consumption. Blood samples were taken for 6 hours following ingestion, immunoassay analysis showed positive results in the range of the cut-off levels, whereas both morphine glucuronides were found in HPLC-MS/MS analysis, free morphine was also found in concentrations ranging from 1 to 3 (mu)g/ml. Six sweat tests for opiates were used 6.5 hours after intake, 3 tests showed a positive result. Neither noscapine nor papaverine, two markers for the consumption of illicit heroin, could be detected in blood. Although these markers were not found in body fluids they were found in the different poppy seed products. Therefore, negative diagnostic findings should be assessed carefully. Beside 6-acetylmorphine as general marker for heroin use, 6-acetylcodeine should be regarded as the definitive marker for consumption of street heroin.