Drug‐impaired driving and traffic collisions: Study on a cross section of the Italian population

Abstract

The present study focuses on the association between road accidents and the presence of drugs of abuse markers in the biological fluids of the drivers. Biological fluids collected from 1236 drivers involved in road accidents (54 fatal and 1182 non-fatal crashes) in the Rome area were analyzed for alcohol and psychotropic drugs, as required by judicial authorities. The substance most frequently detected was alcohol (in 19% of non-fatal and 32% of fatal crashes), followed by cannabinoids (12% of non-fatal crashes) and cocaine (9% of non-fatal and 20% of fatal crashes). The results obtained for cocaine and cannabinoids in blood and urine were compared. We observed the absence or low concentrations of the active drug in blood (cocaine was often below 5 ng/ml and THC below 1 ng/ml), whereas urinary concentrations of metabolites were generally high (benzoylecgonine 250above 5000 ng/ml, THCCOOH 15-270 ng/ml). The risk of being involved in a road accident if cocaine or cannabis markers were present in the urine specimens was evaluated compared to a control population. The odds ratios calculated, being 8.13 for cannabis and 5.32 for cocaine, suggest a strong association between the presence of these drugs in the urine of drivers and traffic accidents, regardless of their presence in blood samples. The present data suggest that the chance of being involved in a road accident is higher than in the control population even if the subject is no longer "under the influence" of cannabis or cocaine at the time of the accident.

Hair analysis as a powerful tool for the identification of anabolic androgenic steroids and other performance and image enhancing drugs in a subject with tissues damages

“…As reported by other authors, the content of medical preparations analyzed differed, for both type of product(s) and their concentrations, with respect to that stated on the labels. [3][4][5][6][7]19 This issue can pose a serious additional risk to health, firstly because of the toxicity and adverse side effects connected with the use of these substances, especially if they are taken without medical supervision. The 17-alpha-alkylated anabolic steroids, such as stanozolol and methandienone, have been associated with cases of liver pathologies unrelated to the route of administration.…”

“…Urine, blood, and hair were also analyzed for common drugs of abuse and benzodiazepines using the methods described elsewhere 19,20 …”

“…Urine, blood, and hair were also analyzed for common drugs of abuse and benzodiazepines using the methods described elsewhere. 19,20 In addition, blood and vitreous humor were tested for ethanol by headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID).…”

Advancing in hair testing: Insights from the Society of Hair Testing–Gruppo Tossicologi Forensi Italiani meeting in Verona 2022

“…Remarkable advancements in sample preparation, detection, and identification of drug compounds have been presented 1 . The manuscripts in this section presented novel approaches, such as multianalyte methods and on‐line preparation which can enable rapid analysis and improve thorough forensic investigations 2 …”