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Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol

Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol. Toxicology. Toxicology — the study of the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on living organisms Types: Environmental — air, water, soil Consumer — foods, cosmetics, drugs Medical, clinical, forensic. Forensic Toxicology.

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Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol

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  1. Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol

  2. Toxicology Toxicology—the study of the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on living organisms Types: Environmental—air, water, soil Consumer—foods, cosmetics, drugs Medical, clinical, forensic

  3. Forensic Toxicology Postmortem—medical examiner or coroner Criminal—motor vehicle accidents (MVA) Workplace—drug testing Sports—human and animal Environment—industrial, catastrophic, terrorism

  4. Toxic substances may: Be a cause of death Contribute to death Cause impairment Explain behavior

  5. Historical Poisoners • Olympias—a famous Greek poisoner • Locusta—personal poisoner of Emperor Nero • Lucretia Borgia—father was Pope Alexander VI • Madame Giulia Toffana—committed over 600 successful poisonings, including two popes • HieronymaSpara—formed a society to teach women how to murder their husbands • Madame de Brinvilliers and Catherine Deshayes—French poisoners • AND many others through modern times.

  6. Mathieu Orfila—known as the father of forensic toxicology, published in 1814 Traité des poisons which described the first systematic approach to the study of the chemistry and physiological nature of poisons

  7. Aspects of Toxicity 1. Dosage 2. The chemical or physical form of the substance 3. The mode of entry into the body 4. Body weight and physiological conditions of the victim, including age and sex 5. The time period of exposure 6. The presence of other chemicals in the body or in the dose

  8. Lethal Dose LD50refers to the dose of a substance that kills half the test population, usually within four hours Expressed in milligrams of substance per kilogram of body weight

  9. Toxicity Classification

  10. Federal Regulatory Agencies • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Consumer Product Safety Commission • Department of Transportation (DOT) • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

  11. Symptoms of Various Types of Poisoning

  12. Critical Information

  13. Human Specimens for Analysis • Blood • Urine • Vitreous humor of eyes • Bile • Gastric contents • Liver tissue • Brain tissue • Kidney tissue • Hair/nails

  14. Alcohol—Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH) • Most abused drug in America • About 40 percent of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related • Toxic—affecting the central nervous system, especially the brain • Colorless liquid, generally diluted in water • Acts as a depressant • Alcohol appears in blood within minutes of consumption; 30–90 minutes for full absorption • Detoxification—about 90 percent in the liver • About 5 percent is excreted unchanged in breath, perspiration, and urine

  15. Rate of Absorption of Alcohol Depends on: • Amount of alcohol consumed • The alcohol content of • the beverage • Time taken to consume it • Quantity and type of food • present in the stomach • Physiology of the consumer

  16. BAC: Blood Alcohol Content • Expressed as percent weight per volume of blood • Legal limit in all states is 0.08 percent Parameters influencing BAC: • Body weight • Alcohol content • Number of beverages consumed • Time since consumption

  17. BAC Calculation Burn-off rate of 0.015 percent per hour, but can vary: Male BAC = Female BAC = 0.071  (oz)  (% alcohol) body weight 0.085  (oz)  (% alcohol) body weight

  18. Field Tests • Preliminary tests—used to determine the degree of suspect’s physical impairment and whether or not another test is justified • Psychophysical tests—three basic tests: • Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN): follow a pen or small flashlight, tracking left to right with one’s eyes. In general, wavering at 45 degrees indicates 0.10 BAC. • Nine-step walk and turn (WAT): comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time • One-leg stand (OLS): maintain balance; comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time

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