slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
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Researchers have developed a new way to test for cocaine use that only needs a fingerprint to determine results. Previous testing methods were limited to finding if cocaine had been handled, but the new technique finds whether the drug has actually been ingested.
The study, led by a team led by the University of Surrey in the UK, utilized an analytical chemistry technique, called mass spectrometry, on the fingerprints of participants who were currently attending drug treatment services. Once data was collected, they compared it to saliva samples to test its accuracy.
Dr. Melanie Bailey, lead author and lecturer in forensics at the University of Surrey, told FoxNews.com that the new test has many benefits over traditional testing, including a fast turnaround time.
“Fingerprints are so quick compared with urine or blood or even saliva. You can put a fingerprint down in a couple of seconds,” she said. “And our method of analysis is so quick - it literally takes two minutes to analyze a fingerprint sample.”
Bailey said in addition to being time efficient, with this technique the identity of the donor is embedded in the ridge detail of the print, which helps with traceability and makes the test impossibly to falsify.
The test works by finding traces of benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine in fingerprint residue, which are chemicals the body excretes when it metabolizes cocaine. Traditionally, these chemicals are detected in a urine test, which can be unhygienic and less accurate, as well as take more time.
cont at
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/05/15/new-test-uses-single-fingerprint-to-detect-drug-use/
The study, led by a team led by the University of Surrey in the UK, utilized an analytical chemistry technique, called mass spectrometry, on the fingerprints of participants who were currently attending drug treatment services. Once data was collected, they compared it to saliva samples to test its accuracy.
Dr. Melanie Bailey, lead author and lecturer in forensics at the University of Surrey, told FoxNews.com that the new test has many benefits over traditional testing, including a fast turnaround time.
“Fingerprints are so quick compared with urine or blood or even saliva. You can put a fingerprint down in a couple of seconds,” she said. “And our method of analysis is so quick - it literally takes two minutes to analyze a fingerprint sample.”
Bailey said in addition to being time efficient, with this technique the identity of the donor is embedded in the ridge detail of the print, which helps with traceability and makes the test impossibly to falsify.
The test works by finding traces of benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine in fingerprint residue, which are chemicals the body excretes when it metabolizes cocaine. Traditionally, these chemicals are detected in a urine test, which can be unhygienic and less accurate, as well as take more time.
cont at
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/05/15/new-test-uses-single-fingerprint-to-detect-drug-use/
