Driving under the influence of nitrous oxide - A retrospective study of HS-GC-MS analysis in whole blood

Since 2020, our lab has received blood samples from traffic cases involving suspicion of driving under the influence of nitrous oxide (N O). While N O analysis by gas chromatography (GC) has been around for decades, quantitative results in blood from drivers have been only scarcely reported. We pres...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science international 2024-01, Vol.354, p.111904-111904, Article 111904
Main Authors: Lindholm, Angelica Ørregaard, Nielsen, Marie Katrine Klose, Kristensen, Mette, Rasmussen, Brian Schou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blood
Breath tests
Calibration
Chromatography, Gas
Driving Under the Influence
Drug-impaired driving
Drugs
Forensic chemistry
Gas chromatography
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Headspace
Laboratories
Mathematical analysis
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous Oxide - analysis
Quality control
Quality standards
Retrospective Studies
Xenon
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Summary:Since 2020, our lab has received blood samples from traffic cases involving suspicion of driving under the influence of nitrous oxide (N O). While N O analysis by gas chromatography (GC) has been around for decades, quantitative results in blood from drivers have been only scarcely reported. We present a three-year (2020-2022) retrospective study of N O from traffic cases in Eastern Denmark with suspected involvement of N O intake. Whole blood samples from traffic cases were analysed for N O using headspace-GC-MS. Freshly made calibration curves and additions of xenon gas as an internal standard were used for calculation of N O concentrations. Positive samples have been defined as having concentrations greater than 0.1 mL N O/L blood. Over a three-year period, we have tested 62 traffic case blood samples for the presence of N O. Despite the technical challenges associated with the analysis of N O, we have found N O in 52 of the samples. Calculated concentrations were in the range 0.1-48 mL N O/L blood, which are similar to the few cases previously found in the literature.
ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111904