Phencyclidine in umbilical cord blood: preliminary data

Abstract

The epidemic abuse of phencyclidine (PCP) has become a major psychiatric issue within the past decade. With the assistance of highly sensitive capillary gas chromatographic-nitrogen detector measurements, PCP''s true pervasiveness is only now being appreciated. Samples of umbilical cord blood from 200 patients on the obstetrics service of a major university medical center were analyzed. Preliminary results revealed that 24 (12%) of the samples were positive for PCP (0.10-5.80 ng/ml). The significance of this finding with regard to psychiatry, obstetrics, pediatrics and juvenile law is discussed.