Forensic Toxicology Overview

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to forensic toxicology.

Forensic Toxicology

The use of toxicology and related disciplines to aid medical or legal investigations of death, poisoning, and drug use.

ADME

The four phases of drug handling in the body: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion.

Absorption

The process of a drug passing through an epithelial barrier to enter the bloodstream.

Biotransformation

The metabolic process in which a chemical substance is transformed into a metabolite.

Metabolism

The chemical processes within the body that modify drugs into active or inactive metabolites.

Excretion

The elimination of substances from the body, primarily via urine or feces.

Half-life

The time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the body to reduce to half its initial value.

Ethanol

A widely used psychoactive substance that is metabolized primarily in the liver.

$BAC$ (Blood Alcohol Concentration)

A measure of the amount of alcohol in a person's blood, expressed as a percentage.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

The principal psychoactive component of cannabis, which has unique ADME properties.

Pharmacological Active Metabolites

Metabolites that exert pharmacological effects and can influence the duration of drug action.

Interpretation of Toxicology Results

The process forensic toxicologists undertake to determine the implications of detected substances.

Analytical Chemistry

A branch of chemistry concerned with the study of the chemical composition of materials.

Drug Administration Routes

The various methods through which drugs can be absorbed into the body, including oral, intravenous, inhalation, etc.