The Cuticle Hair Analysis of Drug Abusers by Scanning Electron Microscope

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Nanthicha Sommanus
Thiti Mahacharoen

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the structure of the hair cuticle (the outer layer of a human hair) of drug abusers who took each type of drug, and to classify the use of drugs from human hair by using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). 65 samples were collected from the hair of the drug abusers who took Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cannabis, Ecstasy, Ketamine and Kratom. The results found that the hair cuticle structures of the drug abusers who took each type of drug were different. The most damaged hair cuticle structure was from the Methamphetamine abusers, although the hair cuticles of Amphetamine and Cannabis abusers were also damaged. In addition, the dominant characteristics of the hair cuticles of the Cannabis abusers were protruding or bulging out. The samples of hair cuticles from Ecstasy and Ketamine abusers were found to have some structural cuticle damage, but the hair samples of Kratom abusers were undamaged. To conclude, the SEM can be applied to analyze the outer layer of hair, known as the cuticle, and distinguish the types of drugs used by some drug abusers.

Article Details

How to Cite
Sommanus, N., & Mahacharoen, T. (2021). The Cuticle Hair Analysis of Drug Abusers by Scanning Electron Microscope. Journal of Criminology and Forensic Science, 7(2), 1–15. retrieved from https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/forensic/article/view/244805
Section
Research Articles

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