Forensic toxicology

Insect used to estimate/extrapolate TOD by its life cycle.

Blue bottle fly.

Applications of forensic toxicology.

1. Forensic urine testing

2. Human performance testing

3. Criminal poisoning

4. Postmortem analysis

Steps performed by toxicologist:

1. Record history

2. Check for signs of toxicity

   • Person’s attitude or body position

   • Substances on clothing

   • Suspicious objects in surroundings

   • Body signs/symptoms suggestive of toxicity.

   • Specific body odour

   • Diagnostic features (ECG, X-ray)

3. Specimen sampling

4. Autopsy

5. Analytical toxicology

Checking for signs of toxicity is to……………………..

try and identify the causative agent.

Toxin giving burnt rope odour is…………………

Malathion.

Toxin giving fishy odour.

Zn phosphide (rodenticide)

Samples are preserved at……*C until testing and freezed for storage at……*C.

4

-20

A green-blue urine colour could identify…………..and orange-red urine may identify…………………………

Methylene blue, Iron

Blood in deceased patient is sampled from……………or …………………. veins.

iliac or femoral

……………..&……………remain longer in liver, gallbladder, and bile in a deceased patient.

Morphine & BDZ

CO & cyanide bind to haemoglobin and can be detected from…………….

spleen.

Slate grey stomach mucous membrane indicatines………………..toxicity.

mercury

Indicates alcohol intoxication from sampling of deceased body.

Vitreous humor in eyeballs

Steps of autopsy.

1. External examination

   • Post-mortem staining

   • Rigor mortis

   • putrefaction

2. Internal examination

Grey-black post-mortem staining may indicate…………………. toxicity.

Opium

Rigor mortis is the process of:

Actomyosin complex formation in muscles after hours of death, causing muscle stiffness.

Complete the biochemical screening tests:

…….test for heavy metals=……….

Trinder’s test for ……………=violet

Meixner test for anatoxins(mushroom)=……………..

……………… reagent test for…………….=purple/violet/blue

Reinsh——black silver

Salicylates

Blue

Marquis morphine(opiates)

Quantitative analysis test for separation & identification includes………………….

Quantitative analysis test for identification & quantification includes…………………….or…………………….

Chromatography

Spectrophotometry or Immunoassays (IAs)

The antigen-antibody complex during immunoassays can be labelled by:

1. Fluorescent dye

2. Luminogen

3. Enzyme giving a colored substrate

4. Radioactive substances