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Insights into Forensic Toxicology: Alcohol Metabolism & Blood Alcohol Concentration

Discover the role of forensic toxicologists in detecting drugs, poisons, and alcohol in the body. Learn about alcohol metabolism, elimination, and its effects on blood alcohol concentration.

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Insights into Forensic Toxicology: Alcohol Metabolism & Blood Alcohol Concentration

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  1. Chapter 6 Forensic Toxicology

  2. The Role of Forensic Toxicology What does a forensic toxicologist do? • detect and identify drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs What types of cases are investigated by forensic toxicologists? • drug-related deaths • Accidental poisonings • Suicidal poisonings • Homicidal poisonings

  3. Toxicology of Alcohol • knowing how the body metabolizes alcohol allows one to understand its effects and detect its presence • Metabolism-the transformation of substances in the body in order to facilitate elimination from the body.

  4. Metabolism of Alcohol 3 Basic Steps: • Absorption-alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream from the walls of the stomach and small intestine • Distribution- alcohol becomes distributed uniformly throughout the body’s fluids. • Elimination- occurs by oxidation and excretion

  5. Factors that Affect Absorption • Alcohol content of beverage • Amount consumed • Rate of consumption • Quantity and type of food in the stomach

  6. Elimination Alcohol is eliminated from the body by: • Oxidation- alcohol is converted to carbon dioxide and water; process starts in the liver; 95-98 % of alcohol is oxidized • Excretion- The remaining alcohol is released in breath, urine, and perspiration

  7. Blood Alcohol Concentration • Amount of alcohol exhaled is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol in the blood • Blood alcohol concentration is directly proportional to the alcohol content in the brain

  8. Circulation Definitions • Artery—a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart • Vein—a blood vessel that transports blood toward the heart • Capillary—a tiny blood vessel—walls exchange materials between blood and tissues • Alveoli—small sacs in lungs—exchange vapors between breath and blood

  9. Circulation

  10. Circulation

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