Objective: To determine the prevalence of cocaine and opiate metabolites in the urine of young urban and suburban children.
Design: Survey.
Setting: Urban and suburban emergency departments and private pediatric practices.
Patients: A convenience sample of 1469 children between 1 and 60 months of age who required a urinalysis for investigation of the chief complaint.
Intervention: None.
Main outcome measures: Urine was screened for benzoylecogonine and opiates using an enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique and a fluorescence-polarization immunoassay, both with a sensitivity of 50 ng/mL.
Results: Benzoylecogonine was identified in the urine of 45 children (3.1%) (95% CI, 2.2% to 3.9%) and opiates in the urine of 38 children (2.6%) (95% CI, 1.8% to 3.4%). No difference was observed between urban and suburban health care facilities in the percentage of patients whose urine tested positive for benzoylecgonine (29 of 1011 vs 16 of 458, P = .6) or opiates (28 of 1011 vs 10 of 458, P = .6).
Conclusion: Exposure to illicit drugs, as reflected by urinary metabolites, is similar for urban and suburban children.