Contribution Of In-Utero Drug Exposure When Interpreting Hair Results In Young Children

The study highlighted the complexities in interpreting hair analysis results in young children due to potential in-utero drug exposure. Two cases were examined: a 9-month-old boy exposed to cannabis and an 11-month-old child exposed to methadone. Both children had positive drug tests in their hair, but the concentrations were much lower than those in active users, suggesting infrequent exposure. The study proposed four possible interpretations for the drug concentrations: decreased administration over time, increased body weight, sweat contamination, and in-utero exposure. The findings emphasized that a single hair analysis should not be used to definitively determine long-term drug exposure in children under 1 year old.