Forensics Unit 5 Exam Toxicology + Drug Analysis

Toxicology

The study of any chemical substance and there interactions with or effects on the body

Posion

Any substance that injures or harms a living organism

Intoxicant

Poison that requires large quantities to do harm (ex: alcohol)

True poison

A substance that requires only a tiny amount to do harm (ex: arsenic)

Controlled Substances

Legal but regulated because of their effect and the potential for abuse (ex: hallucinogens, narcotics, stimulants, anabolic steroids, depressants)

Illicit Drug

Illegal substances (ex: herion, cocaine) or non medical use of legal drugs (ex; taking painkillers or sleeping pills without a personal script)

Toxins

Poison produced naturally by an organism (ex: snake venom, poison ivy, tetanus toxin)

Toxicity

Amount of a substance that is poisonous or can cause injury

Normal toxicity

Would be expected to be in your system

Therapeutic toxicity

Might be prescribe by a doctor

Toxic toxicity

Consistently causes harm

Lethal toxicity

LD50 Kills 50% of sample population, consistently causes death

Methods of Exposure

Ingestion, Inhalation, Injection, Absorption

Absorption

Physiological Processing of Poison Step 1: drugs in the body are absorb from the administration into circulation

Distribution

Physiological processing of poison Step 2: bloodstream carries drug throughout the body (side effects can occur)

Metabolism

Physiological processing of poison Step 3: drug is broken down or metabolized

Elimination

Physiological processing of poison Step 4: metabolized products are excreted from the body

Living drug testing

Urine, blood, saliva, hair

Postmortem drug testing

Urine, bile, blood, ocular fluid, liver, bones, brain tissue

Spot (color) test

Screening test that uses reagents to test for presence of certain drugs

Flame test

Screening test that determines presence of metal ions based on characteristic colored flames

Spectrophotometry/Emissions Spectra

Confirmatory test that examines the wavelength and frequencies of light absorbed by a substance to identify it

Marsh Test

Confirmatory test that tests for arsenic by using sulfuric acid and zinc powder. A positive test results in a black powder being present.

Prussian Blue Test

Confirmatory test that tests for cyanide by using hydrochloric acid. A positive test results in a blue color being present

Red Blood Test

Tests for Carbon Monoxide poisoning by seeing if someones blood is unnaturally bright red

Bones Scan Test

Confirmatory tests for radium by developing images of the bones like photos

Green

Arsenic flame test result

Sparkly orange

Iron flame test result

Red

Mercury flame test result

Lilac

Potassium flame test result

Orange

Lead flame test result

Orange

Tin flame test result

Yellow

Thallium flame test result

Amount, type, time, height, weight, whether or not a person has eaten

Factors that influence BAC

Schedule 1 drug

No current medical use in the US high potential for abuse, illicit drugs (ex: heroin, cocaine, marijuana, peyote, LSD, MDMA ecstasy)

Schedule 2 drugs

• High abuse potential, accepted medical use severe physical and/or psychological dependence (ex: cocaine, adder all, OxyContin, fentanyl, meperidine)

Schedule 3 drugs

Less abuse potential than schedule 1&2 drugs, accepted medical uses, moderate or low physical dependence, high psychological dependence (ex: ketamine, testosterone, anabolic steroids, Tylenol with codeine)

Schedule 4 drugs

Lower abuse potential than schedule 3 drugs, accepted medical uses, limited physical or psychological dependence (ex: tranquilizers, valium, Xanax, Ativan, Ambient)

Schedule 5 drugs

Lower abuse potential than schedule 4 drugs, accepted medical uses, limited physical or psychological dependence (ex: Robitussin, cough syrup, non narcotic medicine)

Narcotics

Drugs that produce drowsiness, induce sleep, insensitivity to pain, decreased responsiveness, depress vital body functions like blood pressure, pulse, and breathing (ex: Opiates like heroin, cocaine and morphine, Synthetic drugs like oxycodone, Hydrocodone)

Hallucinogens

Drugs that alter moods, thoughts, and sense perceptions including vision, hearing, smell, and touch. Can cause panic attacks, seizures, headaches, and psychos. (ex: MDMA, Angel dust, marijuana, LSD, acid, ecstasy)

Depressants

Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions. An overdose can cause coma or death. (ex: Alcohol, barbiturates, anti psychotics, anxiety drugs, sedatives

Stimulants

Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions, depression results when the drug wears off, and they are often highly addictive. (ex: caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine)

Club Drugs

Illegal drugs that are found mostly in nightclubs or at raves, and can be a major depressant or cause loss of bodily function (ex: date rape drugs, GHB, Roofies, MDMA/ecstacy, Ketamine

Anabolic Steroids

Synthetic substances that are similar to the hormone testosterone. Used to increase muscle mass and have a tonnn of side effects

Duquenois-Levine & Hexanes Test (DQR)

Spot test for Marijuana

Negative: both layers clear

Positive: top layer pink, bottom layer: yellow/brown

Erlich (ERL)

Spot test for LSD

Negative: orange

Positive: blue-green

Marquis (MARQ)

Spot test for Amphetamines

Negative: orange

Positive: rusty color

Cobalt Thiocyanate (CO)

Spot test for Cocaine

Negative: pink

Positive: blue

Marquis (MARQ)

Spot test for Heroin

Negative: yellow

Positive: purple

0.015 per hour

On average how much does BAC decrease per hour