ABSTRACT
During the last decade there has been increasing use of cocaine by young adults in North America. According to the Addiction Research Foundation in Toronto, about 10% of men and women between 18 and 28 years of age have consumed cocaine during the late 1980s. A variety of indicators, such as an increase in cocaine-related crimes or deaths and in drug seizures by police, coupled with a decreasing cost of this compound, indicate that these numbers are increasing. The best-documented use of hair accumulation of a xenobiotic to provide evidence of cumulative exposure is the case of methyl mercury. This compound is preferentially accumulated in the brain, causing neurotoxicity to both adults and fetuses. By measuring maternal hair concentrations of methyl mercury, Clarkson and his team can predict serious neurological damage to the newborn. Theoretically, measurement of cocaine in neonatal hair could reflect contact of the hair with amniotic fluids containing the drug.
