Validity Testing of Commercial Urine Cocaine Metabolite Assays: I. Assay Detection Times, Individual Excretion Patterns, and Kinetics After Cocaine Administration to Humans

• NCJ Number: 115486
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Science Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1989) Pages: 15-31
• Author(s): E J Cone; S L Menchen; B D Paul; L D Mell; J Mitchell
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A validity study of eight commercial urine assays for detection of cocaine metabolite was performed on clinical specimens collected from human subjects who received single 20-mg. intravenous doses of cocaine hydrochloride.

Abstract

The specimens were collected under controlled conditions and analyzed in random order under blind conditions. Benzoylecgonine concentration in each specimen also was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Mean times of detection of the last positive specimen after cocaine administration varied among seven of the commercial tests from 16.9 to 52.9 h in the following ascending order: Toxi-Lab < TDx = EMIT dau = EMIT st < Abuscreen < Coat-A-Count = Double Antibody. In contrast, a commercial spot test (KDI Quik Test) which was evaluated for detection of cocaine metabolite produced both false positives and false negatives for benzoylecgonine and was not considered to be a valid test for detection of cocaine metabolite. Half-lives of excretion of benzoylecgonine among four subjects varied from 5.9 to 7.9 h, and overall recovery of benzoylecgonine varied from 15.0 to 34.3 percent of the administered dose of cocaine. (Author abstract)