• Adv Clin Exp Med · Mar 2014

    Analysis of the prevalence of medicines and psychoactive substances among drivers in the material of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Medical University of Bialystok.

    • Michał Szeremeta, Iwona Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek, Zofia Wardaszka, and Anna Niemcunowicz-Janica.
    • Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland.
    • Adv Clin Exp Med. 2014 Mar 1; 23 (2): 245-51.

    ObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence of medicines and psychoactive substances in the blood of drivers.Material And MethodsThe data, recorded in 2010-2011, was comprised of 274 blood samples of sober drivers (269 men and 5 women). 126 drivers within the group died immediately on the spot (mean age 29.7 years, range 19-53 years), 31 drivers survived the accident (mean age 32.4 years, range 24-69 years), and 117 drivers were stopped for traffic control (mean age 26.4 years, range 17-49 years). ELISA immuno-enzymatic blood tests detecting medicines and psychoactive substances were performed by the Neogen company. The presence of the tested substances was confirmed by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography with a mass detector (GC/MS and LC/MS).ResultsFrom the total number of 274 individuals, the presence of psychoactive substances was found in 132 cases, which accounted for 48.2% of all subjects. The drivers found to be under the influence of medicines and psychoactive substances were most often stopped for a roadside survey, among whom the percentage of positive results was 92.3% (108 cases out of 117 subjects). Among the total number of positive findings the psychoactive substances used, alone or in combination with other agents, were tetrahydrocannabinols (42.4%), amphetamines (26.5%), opiates (25.7%) and benzodiazepines (15.1%), and their concentration in the blood did not exceed toxic levels.ConclusionsIn the group of psychoactive substances most often used, either alone or in combination with other agents, there were tetrahydrocannabinols, whose high percentage of positive results in drivers stopped for a roadside control may be explained by commissioning studies on early screening. Concentrations of the substances in most cases did not exceed toxic levels. Roadside examinations, on the basis of their alcohol-like effect, were performed primarily on male drivers.

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