According to scientists, they can tell if a person is using drugs by analyzing their fingerprints.
A team from the University of Surrey in the UK has shown that when a person uses cocaine and it is embedded in the body, certain chemicals are produced that can be detected with the help of fingerprints.
Scientists also say that fingerprint-based drug addiction experiments could be useful in prisons, workplaces, and medical centers where drug addicts are treated.
However, the device required for this purpose is not practical to use as it is about the size of a washing machine and is also very expensive.
Determining whether a person is intoxicated usually relies on samples of body fluids such as blood, urine, or saliva.
However, the researchers believe that fingerprinting will be faster and less intrusive for humans.
Also, using wrong fingerprints and thus trying to protect yourself will be very difficult.
Scientists have published their research in the journal Analyst and it is based on two chemicals that are produced when cocaine dissolves in the body. But these substances are also present in very small amounts in sweat. can.
So when fingerprints are taken, these chemicals stick to the paper. The fingerprints are then analyzed with a mass spectrometer or spectrometer, which detects the chemical based on its atomic size.
Researchers have reported that fingerprints can produce the same results as traditional blood tests.
“The spectrometer is as big as a washing machine and the spectrometer we’re using would cost £400,000 if you were to buy it,” said Dr Mylene Bailey, a lecturer in analytical and forensic science, speaking to the BBC. . This device is not cheap.
There are also inexpensive devices on the market that “raise the very exciting possibility that the day will come when you can do this test anywhere,” he said.
