title: A comparison of the validity of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of urine samples II: amphetamine, methamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, phencyclidine, and (±)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol.
abstract: On November 25, 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted a final notice in the Federal Register authorizing the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) and other technologies in federally regulated workplace drug testing (WPDT) programs. To support this change, it is essential to explicitly demonstrate that LC-MS-MS, as a technology, can produce results at least as valid as gas chromatography (GC)-MS, the long-accepted standard in confirmatory analytical technologies for drugs of abuse. A series of manufactured control urine samples (n = 10 for each analyte) containing amphetamine, methamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, phencyclidine, and (±)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol at concentrations ranging from 10% to 2000% of federal cutoffs were analyzed with replication by five federally regulated laboratories using GC-MS and at RTI International using LC-MS-MS. Interference samples as described in the National Laboratory Certification Program 2009 Manual were analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS-MS as well as previously confirmed urine specimens of WPDT origin. Matrix effects were assessed for LC-MS-MS. Results indicated that LC-MS-MS analysis produced results at least as precise, accurate, and specific as GC-MS for the analytes investigated in this study. Matrix effects, while evident, could be controlled by the use of matrix-matched controls and calibrators with deuterated internal standards.
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Center for Forensic Sciences, 3040 Cornwallis Rd., P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. pstout@rti.org
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Stout
authors.forename: Nichole D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Bynum
authors.forename: Cynthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lewallen
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Baylor
authors.forename: Jeri D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ropero-Miller
mesh_terms: D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000652:urine; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000652:urine*; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000652:urine; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000652:urine; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008694:Methamphetamine; D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine; C016780:11-nor-delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid; D013759:Dronabinol; D000661:Amphetamine; D010622:Phencyclidine; C051800:3,4-methylenedioxyethamphetamine