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. 1993 Dec;63(1-3):269-75.
doi: 10.1016/0379-0738(93)90280-n.

Cocaine and metabolites in the hair of ancient Peruvian coca leaf chewers

A C Springfield  1 , L W Cartmell, A C Aufderheide, J Buikstra, J Ho
Affiliations

Cocaine and metabolites in the hair of ancient Peruvian coca leaf chewers

A C Springfield et al. Forensic Sci Int. 1993 Dec.

Abstract

Cocaine and its metabolites, benzoylecgonine (BZE) and ecgonine methylester (EME), were found in hair samples from ancient Peruvian coca-leaf chewers dating back to AD 1000. Hair was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to quantitate the concentrations. The two metabolites were found in higher concentration than the parent drug. The metabolite levels appear to be below that of modern cocaine abusers. Gender does not appear to be a factor in the incorporation of drug into hair.

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