Ultrastructural alterations and environmental exposure influence the opiate concentrations in hair of drug addicts.

Hair samples were taken at autopsy from the head of 1 male and 1 female subject both known as drug abusers. Some of the strands were bleached by in-vitro cosmetic treatment. The bleached hair as well as the original hair samples were partly exposed to water or soil prior to further investigations and drug monitoring. The exposure times were 4 weeks or 6 months for water and 6 months for soil. The hair fibers were examined by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and by scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigations. The electron microscope studies confirmed that all experimental conditions had produced morphological alterations in the hair fibers. After exposure to water or to soil for 6 months as well as after storage of the clipped bleached hair in tap water at room temperature for 4 weeks, drug monitoring of formerly positive hair samples gave negative results. After storage of natural hair in soil or in water for 4 weeks the opiate levels had dramatically decreased. The samples were screened by fluorescence polarization immunoassay after enzymatic digestion. The results were confirmed by GC/MS.