1. EVALUATION SEMINAR
ON
FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
PRESENTED BY:-
Supriya c s
1st M pharm
Dept…of Pharmacology
PESCP
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:-
Dr. Shivalinge gowda k .P
H.O.D
Dept…of Pharmacology
PESCP

2. CONTENT
1. History and definition
2. Four disciplines of forensic toxicology
 Death investigational toxicology (Postmortem toxicology)
 Human performance toxicology
 Doping control
 Forensic workplace drug testing.
3.Advantages and disadvantages of various specimens used in forensic
toxicology.
4.Analysis carried out by different methods
5.Application of Forensic toxicology
6.General classes of poisoning
7.Possible symptoms
8.Famous cases of Forensic Toxicology

3. HISTORY AND DEFINITION
History Of Forensic Toxicology :
• Father of Forensic Toxicology is “ Mathieu Orfila”
• It is there around for hundreds of years .
• The marsh test apparatus was one of the way to detect toxic level
Definition Of Forensic Toxicology :-
Toxicology is defined as the study of adverse effect of chemicals on
living organisms.

4. Forensic toxicology
• Forensic toxicology is a modern science ,depending on
published and widely accepted scientific methods according to
practice for analyzing of drugs on biological material, and
interpretation of those results .
• There is a risk and dangerous with the use of abuse illicit and
recreational drugs , medication, and alcohol.

5. The Forensic Toxicology Council (FTC)
 It was formed on 2009 .
 The FTC was formed specifically to provide information to government
and policy makers ,regarding the field advancement and development of
forensic toxicology.
 It’s been governed through the “ professional certifying and
accrediting board- The American Board of forensic toxicology” it
promotes professional development and education through major
professional organizations:-
 The society of Forensic Toxicologists(SOFT).
 The American Academy of Forensic Science(AAFS).
 And international organizations such as ,The international Association of
Forensics Toxicologists(ITAFT).

6. The Four disciplines of Forensic
Toxicology:-
 Death investigational toxicology (Postmortem
toxicology).
 Human performance toxicology.
 Doping control.
 Forensic workplace drug testing.

7. Death investigational toxicology :- (Postmortem
toxicology).
 Principle involved in the post mortem toxicology is that the “
dose makes the poison” certain amount of every substances ,even
water and air can be toxic and those amount can somewhat
differ from person to person and substances to substances.
 It analysis variety of fluids and tissue sample for the absence or
presence of drug or poisons.
 Once the analyzing is finished the toxicologist as been having
an challenge for interpretation of finding.

8.  Evidence will be collected and it as to be to sent to an toxicology
testing and it will be collected by an forensic pathologists or
mortuary autopsy .
 The specimen should be labeled properly by identifying and it as
to be sealed specimen pertaining to the cases as to be collected
and packed in a tamper - proof container.

9. Recommended specimen to be collected according to the
types of death cases
Death cases Specimen
 Suicide , Industrial accident , :-
motor vehicle trash
 Homicides and suspicious :-
 Drug related :-
 Volatile substance abuse :-
Liver ,blood ,urine ,vitreous humor.
Liver , blood ,urine ,vitreous
humor ,gastric content ,bile,
liver ,hair.
Liver ,blood ,urine ,vitreous humor
,gastric content ,bile ,hair
Blood, vitreous humor, lung fluid.

10. Tied off :-
Heavy metal poisoning or
other exposure poisoning :-
Lung ,liver.
Blood, liver ,vitreous humor ,hair,
kidney ,urine.

11. Blood
 Blood is the sample used for detecting ,quantifying ,and
interpreting drugs and concentrations of other toxicant.
 The recent drug ingestion concentration of the toxicants
can be known through the blood at the time of death .
 At the time of post –mortem the blood concentration may be
different at the different places due to variable degree of
decomposition it may difficult to analyze.

12. Urine
 Urine is the sample used for drug testing at the work places where as it
will be not available at the time of post –mortem.
 It’s not been directly correlated for the presence of drug ,as it takes
time to eliminate from the body ,urine is the sign that indicates the
substance was been in the blood at an earlier time

13. Liver
 Liver is the solid specimen for the study of toxicology as it will
metabolizes the drugs and toxicants ,hence most of the drug get
concentrate in it ,when there is no level of drug in the blood ,it is the
one which is been used to study toxicology.
Vitreous humor
 It is the fluid used for screening the ranges of drug ,it will be
commonly analyzed for blood alcohol concentrations .

14. Gastric content
 The stomach content can be used in toxicology for potential over
dose and or acute poisoning.
 The detection can be done how much time elapsed between the
ingestion and death.
 It depends on the how much of the content present in the stomach
not an concentration.
Hair and nails
 Hair is been used to test for the drugs such as amphetamines ,cocaine
,and heroin.
 Toe nails and finger is been used for drug analysis to provide
longer potential of window of exposure than hair.

15. Human performance toxicology:-
 It deals with the effects of alcohol and drugs on human performance
and behavior and medico-legal consequence of drug and alcohol
use .
 It may lead for the investigation of impaired driving ,vehicular assault
,homicidal, drug facilitated crime, sexual assault ,aircraft and motor
vehicle collision.
 The forensic toxicologist perform analysis on biological sample of
blood and urine .But merely the analysis is been done on oral fluid
and hair .The analytical method is been founded in many research
and hospital laboratory..

16.  It will be involved with extraction and purification , identify and
amount of drug present and deals with the interpretational result
whether the drug dose represent therapeutic use ,recreational use or
potential abuse.
 This type of testing can also be done in private crime laboratory or in
health department but private or academic forensic toxicology
laboratories can observe the same standard in place public sector .
 Most states have an thousands of alcohol breathing testing operators
,it produce evidence in DUI , impairment cases and its integral work
place drug testing.

17. Doping control:
 This doping control will applies for both human and animal sports.
 Most competitive and intramural sports governing bodies derived the
rules regarding performance enhancing drug use to protect the
health and welfare of the professional athletes ,to avoid fraud.
 International Olympic committee ,World anti –doping agency,
international federation of horseracing authority ,it maintains these list
as patterns of drug use change.

18.  It uses many of the same high performance analytical method to
detect the current and historical use banned substance the test is
been done in private, commercial ,and public sectors.

19. Forensic workplace drug testing:-
 There should be safety and economic consequences
significantly in the workplaces. In an united state taking certain
medication without prescription or any recreational drug misuse is
prohibited.
 Forensic toxicologist perform testing in urine sample is been
regulated and inspected to minimize the risk factor, the highly
uniformed and well defined techniques and methods is used. The
test can also performed on other specimens like oral fluid ,sweat and
hairs.

20. Advantages of urine ,hair ,sweat and oral fluid
specimens:-
Urine :-
a)Drug and drug metabolites are highly concentrated.
b) It is a extensive scientific for testing methodology
c) Commercially screening testing method
d) The result are accepted frequently by court.
e) Liberally practiced performance.
Oral fluid:-
a)parent drugs and metabolites are detected.
b)Detection of recently used drug.
c)Readily available for collection.
d)Result will be depended on performance

21. Sweat:-
a)Noninvasive specimen collection.
b)Detection of parent drugs and drug metabolites.
c)10 two weeks the drug intake can be monitored.
d)Cumulative measures of drug exposure can be provided.
Hair :-
a)Provide of longer estimate of drug used.
b)Detects parent drugs and drug metabolites.
c)Easy of storing, obtaining, and shipping specimen
d)Second specimen can be obtained very easily.

22. Disadvantages of urine ,oral fluid ,sweat ,hair specimens-
Urine:-
a)Drug concentration will be influenced by amount of water intake.
b)Detection period will be 2-3 days.
c)Susceptible to adulteration and substitution.
Oral fluid:-
a) Collection volume may be depended on device.
b)Contamination of oral fluid due to smoking ,intranasal routes of drug
administration.
c)Testing performance is under development.
d)Detection window may be shorter.

23. Sweat :-
a) Risk of accidental removal.
b)Limited collection device.
c)specimen volume is unknown.
d)Risk of contamination during use and removal.
e)Prior exposure cannot be detected.
f)Large variation in sweat production.
Hair :-
a)Hair color bias.
b)testing is under development.
c)Recent drug use cannot be detected.
d)For some drug classes contamination is possible in environment
e)Susceptible to contamination during prior collection.

24. The analysis performed
There are different techniques for toxicology screening:-
 Immunoassays.
 Chromatographic techniques.
 Systemic toxicological analysis.
 Immunoassay:-
The four techniques for the interpretation of drug test screening involves
 True positive
 False positive
 True negative
 False negative

25.  True positive - detect the presence of correct drug in the result.
 False positive- detect the presence of incorrect drug in the result
which was not present.
 True negative- detect the presence of absence of drug in
the result.
 False negative- detect the absence of drug when there is a
presence of drug.
eg:- ELISA - It’s been used as an detector for detecting analytes substance
in extracts and or digest of sweat ,oral fluid and hair .This technique is
semiquantative ,cost effective, high sensitive .They have increased
specifity to parent drugs ,rather than drug metabolites

26. Chromatographic techniques:-
• It’s this analytical procedure is been used for the separation of
compound or drugs.
• By the application of HPLC ,GC coupled with MS ,its
becoming popular tool for modern toxicology laboratory.
Eg:-
1) Use of high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode –array
UV detection for the creation of a 600-compound library application to
forensic toxicology.
2)Capillary drug screening in forensic toxicology.

27. Systemic toxicological analysis :-
• The systemic toxicology involves the preliminary examination and
screening of acidic ,neutral ,basic or organic compound and alcohol.
• If the toxin is been identified means or confirmatory then
quantitative analysis is been done ,it will be used to detect the
amount of substances is present .For initial test the immunoassay
and then GC-MS ,HPLC-MS is been used.

28. Testing:-
• There should be an sophisticated instruments and trained analyst
for testing the biological fluids or tissue for the presence of drugs
and or other substance.
• According to the case and condition of the body determination of
biological specimen test is conducted.

29. Drugs included in routine post -mortem toxicology for example
SUBSTANCE EXAMPLES
Alcohol Chemically ethanol ,and test included for
methanol and acetone
Analgesics Paracetamol,salicylates
Anti depressant Tricyclics (imipramine,amitriptyline)
;SSRI’s(fluoxetine);Sertraline
Antihistamine Diphenydramine ,chlorophenarmine
Cocaine Cocaine and its metabolites
Cardiovascular drugs Dilitiazem ,propanolol
Cannabis Tetrohydrocannabis and its metabolites
Benzodiazepine All available diazepam,alprozalm

30. Drugs routinely not included in death investigational Toxicology screening
for example:-
SUBSTANCE EXAMPLES
Barbiturates Phenobarbital , Butalbital
Digoxin Used to treat arrhythmias and heart failure
Environmental toxicants Carbon monoxide,cyanide,pesticides,
LSD Hallucinogens rarely seen in corners cases
GHB Gamma –hydroxybutrate
Designer drugs Synthetic cathinones, synthetic cannabioids

31. Application of forensic toxicology:-
 Forensic toxicology is used to know the substance absorption,
distribution ,elimination ,and metabolisim of the substances.
 Forensic toxicology is used to study how the drugs effect the
body and how it occurs.
 Forensic toxicology is used to identify the hazardous and
chemicals.
 Forensic toxicology is been used to study the illegal drugs and
such legal ones like alcohol.
 Forensic toxicology testing is carried out in transportation and
workplaces

32. General classes of poisoning:-
 Gases like - HCN,CO
 Metallic poison –As ,Sb , Pb ,Ti ,Li ,Hg
 Non volatile organics like - Corrosive poisons:-
strong acid and bases,
Salts:- NaCN
Alkaloids
Pesticides
Carbon monoxide:-
 CO prevents oxygen binding to an hemoglobin leads to suffocation.
 Normal level of carbon monoxide in the body is 1-3% ,and in a
smoker it is 10%.
 Fatal level of CO at autopsy is considered to be >50% for a
healthy middle aged male.

33. Metal poisons:-
 Most common metallic poison is AS2O3 ,death will occur within 24
hour ,the symptoms is vomiting ,diarrhea ,if it given for longer
period in an traces amount .
Alkaloids:-
 Nitrogen containing organic bases is known as alkaloid .
 It’s found in plants and fungi, strychnine is the most common it
causes death due to muscle over –contraction ,leading to respiratory
failure , spasm and convulsion .

34. Pesticides:-
 The pesticides are the one which is sprayed in gardens and lawns
,it’s the poisons , it’s easy to obtain and common enough that it
won’t raises suspicious as quickly it traces are found.
 Top Five Homicide Poisoning:-
o Arsenic – 31%
o Cyanide -9%
o Strychnine -6%
o Morphine - 3%
o Chloroform -3%

35. Possible symptoms
 Constricted pupils ( organic phosphates, opiods)
 Breath odor ( arsenic –smell of garlic)
 Convulsion (strychnine)
 Hair loss (Thallium)
 Paralysis (botulism)
 Coma (depressants, hypnotics)
 Skin color (CO-red ,nitrates-blue)
 Skin appearance- (Arsenic- hyperkeratosis ,warts)
(TCDD dioxin- chloracne).

36. Famous cases of forensic toxicology :-
 Emile Zola :- The French writer died on 29th November 1902 .As been
died due to carbon monoxide.
 Alexander litvinenko:- He was an military man, due to lethal dose of
polonium 210.
 Michael Jackson :- A famous pop dancer died due to lethal dose of
propofol.
 Janis joplin :- A famous singer of 1960,died due to overdose of heroin.