HEART ATTACK CHEMICAL DETECTED IN COCAINE USERS

Nearly half of all cocaine users are testing positive for a
potentially fatal chemical caused by mixing the drug with alcohol.

Cocaethylene, a heart attack-inducing chemical formed in the liver
when cocaine and alcohol are mixed, is present in 45% of users,
according to new research. Hair tests conducted on 1,728 volunteers
nationwide revealed the extent of the danger posed by the chemical,
which is thought to be responsible for a rise in heart attacks among
under-40s.

Hair tests provide "very accurate readings of when and how much
cocaine or alcohol has been consumed, and the levels of cocaethylene
being formed in the body", according to Avi Lasarow, of Trimega
Laboratories, which carried out the research.