Kontakt 2006, 8(2):366-369 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2006.058

Problems of hair analysis in forensic toxicologyBiomedicine

Petr Procházka

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

The present work is aimed at summarizing knowledge and providing integral outline of problems of the hair analysis. It is particularly focused on its use in practice. It also offers the reader with an integral review of methods of carrying out tests of hair samples for the presence of certain substances. Last, but not least, it serves as a summarization of knowledge necessary for the hair analysis. The first part of the work deals with problems of the choice of the type of biological material for the analysis, particularly with the importance of the hair tissue and further alternative materials. The second part is aimed at the description of the mechanism of the incorporation of substances into the hair matrix. After these "theoretical" treatises, there is a description and discussion of methods of the hair analysis. Methods of the hair analysis are very interesting and even specialists cannot achieve agreement about a standard procedure. Thus, a general pattern has been established, according to which the analyses can be performed. General recommendations for methodical procedures are being issued by the society of hair testing. In accordance with these recommendations, particular methodical directions and procedures provided for given types of analyses are arranged. The last part offers an integral outline of the use of the hair analysis. In the literature, there are many conflicting and controversial facts. Not all the authors agree that the hair as an alternative biological material can have the same importance as for example the blood or urine, but when evaluating a wide spectrum of the use of the hair analysis, we can find that the hair is actually a very important type of samples. The determination of chemical substances or their metabolites in the hair tissue currently becomes a modern tool not only in forensic toxicology, but also in other branches of toxicology, such as e.g. "Human performance toxicology". In the Czech Republic, the use of the hair analysis is currently considered in association with investigation of traffic violations. Thus, it is obvious that requirements for knowledge of this problem increase not only among toxicologists, but also among specialists dealing e.g. with forensic practice.

Keywords: hair; alternative materials; hair analysis; forensic toxicology; "Human performance toxicology"; methods of hair analysis

Published: December 15, 2006  Show citation