Analysis of methamphetamine in hair, nail, sweat, and saliva by mass fragmentography.

A method for the detection and quantitation of methamphetamine and its major metabolite in hair, nails, sweat, and saliva from habitual users of methamphetamine by mass fragmentography has been developed. Hair and nail samples were washed with water and methanol to remove the external contamination, processed with 0.6M HCl, alkalinized, and extracted with CHCl3/isopropanol (3:1 v/v). Sweat and saliva samples were extracted with methanol. After trifluoroacetyl derivatization, the samples were analyzed by mass fragmentography. Methamphetamine and its major metabolite, amphetamine, were detected in hair, nail, and sweat samples, but methamphetamine alone was detected in saliva samples.