The procedure for processing and identifying the victims of the Jonestown, Guyana tragedy is outlined. Autopsies were performed on seven of the victims, and the autopsy anatomic and toxicologic findings are presented. Problems encountered in the interpretation of the autopsy findings are noted.
A new method for confirming urinary 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, the major metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol, has been developed. The metabolite is extracted, derivatized to the methyl ester, methyl ether, and analyzed on a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. In spiked urine specimens, metabolite concentrations as low as 20 ng/mL have been detected by this procedure. In a random sampling of urines, greater than 95% correlation was obtained between confirmation by this method and confirmation by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in those specimens producing an immunological response greater than 75 ng/mL.
The use of radioimmunoassay (RIA) as a method capable of detecting nanogram-per-millilitre (ng/ml) quantities of methaqualone in biological specimens has been described previously [1,2]. Several authors have shown, by using gas chromatography or mass spectrometry, or both, that the principal products of methaqualone metabolism, as they appear in the urine, are primarily the monohydroxy derivatives [3–5]. These derivatives have been found to be conjugated mainly with glucuronic acid. In this study the relative sensitivity of methaqualone and its metabolites to the RIA assay was investigated.
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