@article{ref1,
title="Findings of illicit drugs in hair of children at different ages",
journal="International journal of legal medicine",
year="2021",
author="Mußhoff, F. and Skopp, G. and Franz, T.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="Hair is a preferred material to detect exposure or use of illegal drugs in children. In the present study, we investigated a total of 387 hair samples for commonly  applied illegal drugs of children up to 16 years. Analysis was by liquid  chromatography/mass spectrometry with LOQs of 0.01 ng/mg hair for all analytes  except tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid with an LOQ of 0.1 pg/mg hair. <br><br>RESULTS  were firstly compared with our in-house statics on results from adults' hair, and  secondly to literature data. We started from the assumption that drug concentrations  decrease with increasing age.<br><br>RESULTS were assigned to 4 different age groups (< 1  year, 1-< 6 years, 6-< 14 years, 14-16 years). As expected, higher results were  obtained in age groups 1 and 2. The lowest concentrations were present in age group  3, whereas an increase could be observed in group 4 except heroin. In babies,  positive results may be due to in utero exposure, breast milk feeding, and a close  physical contact. All drugs under investigation such as cannabinoids, cocaine,  amphetamines, and opiates have been detected in breast milk as well as in skin  excretions such as sebum, sweat and cutaneous cells. For most drugs, average  concentrations in children hair were lower than in adult hair when compared with our  in-house statistics. Interestingly, the increase of cannabinoids, cocaine, and  amphetamines concentrations in adolescents' hair points to a deliberate use of these  drugs possibly in addition to passive exposure. This observation shows that age  groups 1 and 4 are most vulnerable if caregivers or parents are drug users, even if  the sources of positive drug findings differ.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0937-9827",
doi="10.1007/s00414-020-02479-7",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02479-7"
}