Drug Testing in Hair

From The Critics

Reviewer: Stephen E. Kahn, PhD(Loyola University Medical Center)
Description: This is a comprehensive compilation of review articles authored by internationally recognized toxicology experts on the major analytical, clinical, forensic, and legal aspects of testing for drugs in hair specimens.
Purpose: The editor's intended purpose was to cover both the theoretical and practical aspects of hair analysis for drugs in order to provide a state-of-the-art reference in this rapidly growing area of toxicology. This book is a worthwhile and necessary addition to the toxicology field; the editor's objectives were successfully met.
Audience: The editor does not indicate the specific audience for whom this text was written. It is clear, however, that this book would be best used by technical, clinical, and forensic experts who are practitioners in laboratories in a variety of toxicology settings. The book is written in a straightforward manner such that both students and residents would be able to understand and use the information. However, it would only be on rare occasions when such individuals would have a need to learn more in this relatively esoteric area.
Features: As the book is a series of review articles on a variety of technical subjects in the area of hair analysis for drugs, the comprehensive listings of references at the end of each chapter along with the tables and figures of technical information throughout the book would be quite useful to experts in this field. The table of contents at the beginning of each chapter as well as a good index at the end of the book also provide handy tools for the reader to quickly focus in on subjects of interest.
Assessment: This is an excellent reference for those practitioners in toxicology who are interested in virtually any relevant aspect of drug analysis in hair specimens. This book is highly recommended for those experts who wish to supplement their collection with a practical and informative treatment of this somewhat specialized area of toxicology.

Stephen E. Kahn

This is a comprehensive compilation of review articles authored by internationally recognized toxicology experts on the major analytical, clinical, forensic, and legal aspects of testing for drugs in hair specimens. The editor's intended purpose was to cover both the theoretical and practical aspects of hair analysis for drugs in order to provide a state-of-the-art reference in this rapidly growing area of toxicology. This book is a worthwhile and necessary addition to the toxicology field; the editor's objectives were successfully met. The editor does not indicate the specific audience for whom this text was written. It is clear, however, that this book would be best used by technical, clinical, and forensic experts who are practitioners in laboratories in a variety of toxicology settings. The book is written in a straightforward manner such that both students and residents would be able to understand and use the information. However, it would only be on rare occasions when such individuals would have a need to learn more in this relatively esoteric area. As the book is a series of review articles on a variety of technical subjects in the area of hair analysis for drugs, the comprehensive listings of references at the end of each chapter along with the tables and figures of technical information throughout the book would be quite useful to experts in this field. The table of contents at the beginning of each chapter as well as a good index at the end of the book also provide handy tools for the reader to quickly focus in on subjects of interest. This is an excellent reference for those practitioners in toxicology who are interested in virtually any relevant aspect of drug analysisin hair specimens. This book is highly recommended for those experts who wish to supplement their collection with a practical and informative treatment of this somewhat specialized area of toxicology.

Booknews

Twelve essays detailing the use of hair analysis to evaluate an individual for drug use, a procedure that is now routinely used in forensics, traffic medicine, and clinical toxicology. The contributors examine some of the technical and legal aspects of drug testing using hair, the "stumbling block" of environmental factors, and the analytical and technical tools required to find evidence of cocaine, opioids, cannabis, and amphetamine in hair samples. The final discussions concentrate on forensics, field studies, clinical applications, and drug analyses in nonhead hair. Includes illustrations, graphs, and charts. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

4 Stars! from Doody