1 / 17

Forensic Toxicology

Forensic Toxicology. Objectives. Identify the 5 types of controlled substances Relate signs and symptoms of overdose with specific class of drugs or toxins Describe the role of various types of toxins in causing death Discuss agents that may be used in bioterrorism

matt
Download Presentation

Forensic Toxicology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Forensic Toxicology

  2. Objectives • Identify the 5 types of controlled substances • Relate signs and symptoms of overdose with specific class of drugs or toxins • Describe the role of various types of toxins in causing death • Discuss agents that may be used in bioterrorism • Define and describe the goals and practice of toxicology

  3. Vocabulary • Controlled substance • Drug • Metabolism • Narcotic • Poison • Toxicity • Toxin

  4. Toxicology • Toxicology is the study of poisons and the identification of drugs and other substances a person may have used for various purposes • Examines the harmful affects of poisons and drugs on the body

  5. Forensic Toxicologist • Primary duty • Detect and identify drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs

  6. Exposure • Drugs/toxins exposed by • Ingesting so they enter the gastrointestinal system • Inhaling them into lungs • Injecting them into the bloodstream • Absorbing them through skin

  7. Toxicity • Toxicity • The degree to which a substance is poisonous or can cause injury • Factors • Dose • Duration • Nature of exposure • Other

  8. Classification of Toxins • Intentionally • Treat illness or pain relief • Accidentally • Ingested or exposed (harmful combo) • Deliberately • Suicide or purposing harming others

  9. Brief History • Dates back to ancient Greece • 17th century • Poisoning became profession • Arsenic and cyanide “inheritance powder” • 19th century-chemical analysis began • Mathieu Orfila & Robert Christison

  10. Metabolism of Drugs • All chemicals that enter the body are broken down by chemicals in the body • Metabolism (transformation of chemical) • Absorption • Through blood stream • Distribution • Carried to all parts of the body • Elimination • Oxidation takes place in the liver

  11. Murder by Poison • Less than ½ of 1% of all homicide result from poisoning • Acute poisoning • High does over short period of time • Chronic poisoning • Lower dose over long period of time

  12. Drugs & Crime • Controlled substance • Legal drugs whose sales, possession, and use are restricted because of the effect of the drugs and the potential for abuse • Narcotics • Depressants • Stimulants

  13. Production of Poison • Living organism • Alcohol • Ethyl alcohol • Bacteria • Botulism • tetanus

  14. Metal Poison • Heavy metals • Absorbed by ingestion, inhalation, or absorb through skin • Arsenic • Lead • Mercury • Gases • Hydrogen cyanide • Carbon monoxide • Potassium chloride • Sodium pentathal

  15. Bioterrorism • Ricin (waste from castor oil and castor bean) • Difficulty breathing, nausea, fever, cough, excess fluid in lungs, dehydration • Lethal • Anthrax (bacillus anthracis) • 25-60% fatal if ingested • Flu-like symptoms

  16. Collection & Preservation of Blood • Must be collected under medically accepted conditions • Sealed in airtight container & addition of anticoagulant & preservative • Stored in refrigerator & delivered to lab

  17. Research Case Study • Research one of the following cases related to toxicology • Provide summary of case • Drugs/toxins involved in case (stimulants, depressant, etc) • Outcome (accidental, deliberate, intentional) • Resources cited • Mary Ansell (1899) • Eva Rablen (1929) • Death of Georgi Markov (1978) and Attack on Vladimir Kostove (1978) • Tylenol Tampering (1982)

More Related