Pediatric Exposure to Drugs of Abuse by Hair Testing: Monitoring 15 Years of Evolution in Spain

Abstract

Hair testing is a useful tool to investigate the prevalence of unsuspected chronic exposure to drugs of abuse in pediatric populations and it has been applied to three different cohorts of children from Barcelona, Spain along fifteen years to evaluate eventual changes in this exposure. Children were recruited from three independent studies performed at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) and approved by the local Ethics Committee. Hair samples were collected from the first 187 children cohort (around 4 years of age) in 1998, from the second 90 children cohort (1.5–5 years of age) in 2008 and from the third 114 children cohort (5–14 years of age) in 2013. Hair samples were analysed for the presence of opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and cannabis by validated methodologies using gas or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Familiar sociodemographics and eventual consumption of drugs of abuse by parents, and caregivers were recorded. Hair samples from 24.6% children in 1998 were positive for any drug of abuse (23.0% cocaine), 25.5% in 2008 (23.3% cocaine), and 28.1% in 2013 (20.1% cocaine and 11.4% cannabis). In none of the cohorts, parental sociodemographics were associated with children exposure to drugs of abuse. The results of the three study cohorts demonstrated a significant prevalence of unsuspected pediatric exposure to drugs of abuse which mainly involved cocaine maintained along fifteen years in Barcelona, Spain. We recommend to be aware about unsuspected passive exposure to drugs of abuse in general population and to use general or selected hair screening to disclose exposure to drugs of abuse in children from risky environments to provide the basis for specific social and health interventions.

Distribution pattern of common drugs of abuse, ethyl glucuronide, and benzodiazepines in hair across the scalp

“…Hair has become a popular matrix for forensic toxicological purposes, such as abstinence controls, for example driving license regranting procedures, workplace drug testing, and child custody cases . Hair testing has many benefits for both the examiner and the examinee.…”

Experiences in Child Hair Analysis

“…The results of several study cohorts demonstrated a significant prevalence of unsuspected pediatric exposure to drugs of abuse, which mainly involved cocaine, for example, in Barcelona, Spain [30]. The results of several study cohorts demonstrated a significant prevalence of unsuspected pediatric exposure to drugs of abuse, which mainly involved cocaine, for example, in Barcelona, Spain [30].…”

Çocuk ve Ergenlerde Madde Kullanımı ve Adli Toksikolojik Analizler

“…Pasif maruziyet açısından bebekler ve küçük çocuklar daha çok ev içinde vakit geçirdikleri için daha büyük çocuklara göre daha fazla risk altındadırlar. Özellikle sigara şeklinde kullanım sonrası ortaya çıkan dumanı solumak veya ortamda bulunan kontamine olmuş maddelerle temas pasif maruziyet durumu oluşturabilmektedir (47). Ayrıca gebelerde plasenta üzerinden, emzirme veya kullanıcının tükürüğü veya teri yoluyla pasif olarak çocuklar maddelere maruz kalabilmektedirler.…”