Development of a breath collection device for the detection of illicit drugs and method validation

Drug abuse is a serious public health and safety issue that affects almost every society in the world. The use of these substances can lead to mental and physical disorders and life-threatening consequences. Therefore, the analysis of licit and illicit drugs is of great importance in many areas, such as forensic and clinical applications. In particular, driving under the influence of psychoactive substances often poses a threat to public safety by increasing the risk of accidents. The most typical biological specimens used to test for these substances are blood, urine, oral fluid, sweat, saliva and hair. However, breath testing has recently emerged as a biological method for the detection of psychoactive substances. Exhaled (breathed out) aerosol microparticles carry non-volatile compounds from the alveoli in the lungs. When collected and analyzed, these aerosol microparticles provide a non-invasive and readily available sample for the detection of licit and illicit drugs. This thesis study aims to analyze psychoactive substances in breath samples collected from an addiction center by developing a breath collection device. Blood and urine samples were also collected from individuals as reference samples. A total of 20 individuals' breath, blood and urine samples were collected simultaneously as part of the thesis. The samples were analyzed using the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method developed. The limits of quantification (LOQ) for the 24 different target analytes ranged from 0.4 to 48.1 pg/filter. In 19 out of 20 cases (95%) at least one substance was found positive in the breath samples. One of the most commonly detected substances was METHAMP. METHAMP was detected in blood samples in 16 cases and also in breath samples in 16 cases. Furthermore, in 2 cases where METHAMP was found positive in breath samples, the blood samples of these cases were negative while the urine samples were positive. The average concentration of METHAMP in breath was found to be 78 pg/filter. This thesis study concluded that psychoactive substances can be analyzed from breath exhaled from the body and that the breath sample is a useful sample. The results also showed that high analytical sensitivity is required to detect psychoactive substances. As a result, with this thesis study, for the first time in our country, a breath collection device was developed for the analysis of psychoactive substances in breath, and the usability of the device and the breath sample was demonstrated.