MODULE FORENSIC CHEMISTRY AND TOXICOLOGY

CHAPTER 9: BLOOD ALCOHOL AND DRUG

EXAMINATION WITH POISONING

Objectives:
a) Demonstrate knowledge in assessing the various
evidence of poisoning.
b) Understand the concept of alcohol intoxication
c) Apply skills in performing Field Sobriety Test

THE EVIDENCE OF POISONING

• Circumstantial or Moral Evidence – that evidence

contributed by the circumstances or deduced from various
occurrences and facts.
o e.g. motives for poisoning, purchased poison,
keeping the dead or the materials used, etc. (This
is not strong evidence)
• Symptomatic Evidence - this include the symptoms
observed during the poisoning. This is not conclusive for some diseases may present
similar symptoms as those of poisoning.
o Arsenic vomit’s or secretion of the body. This alone is not reliable claim for the
poisoning since poison may poisoning like cholera, alcoholic coma may stimulate
diabetic coma.
• Chemical evidence – that evidence obtained by chemical analysis of the suspected
substance, or the decomposed or changed or it have been placed after death.

• Postmortem evidence – that obtained from an examination of the tissues and organs
after death. There are many poisons, however, that do not produce characteristic findings.
In addition, the findings may be the same as those produced by diseases.

• Experimental evidence – (psychological test) obtained by administering the suspected

substance to some living animal and noting the effect or symptoms. This alone is not also
very conclusive because the tolerance may not be the same as in man.

✓ However, we may more or less have an idea what the substance is. So, this evidence
must be taken together, and one cannot depend simply on one or two.

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▪ Poison Investigation
o The most important in poison investigation is the sight and smell of the scene. A
thorough search and search and check should be made of the surroundings.
1. The position and appearance of the body;
2. The skin and mouth; lips, rectum vagina and genitals;
3. The pupils of the eyes – whether contracted or dilated
4. Odors presents
5. Possible marks on the skin as a result of hypodermic needle
injections.
6. The hands for the presence of objects – whether the object in the
hand grasped before death, or placed in the hand after death has
occurred: if the fingers do not grasp the object tightly, the body
was in death when the object placed.

▪ Food Poisoning
o Symptoms of poisoning appeared soon after a drink or meal
taken, the investigator should thoroughly see that all liquids,
foods, and medicines on the premises are preserved.
o These can be found at the medicine cabinet, pantry,
refrigerator, and even the reuse container.
o If many hours have elapsed after the meal was ingested, the
possibility of food as the source of poison may be eliminated.
o When symptoms of poisoning occur, the investigator can
reasonably assume that the victim had taken the poison from on-
half to one hour before the first symptoms appeared. In corrosive
poison, symptoms appeared immediately.
o On way of proving poisoning is by chemical analysis of
stomach contents and body fluids.

▪ Hints for the Investigator

o It is not necessary that the investigator become an expert on poisons, since he will
have the knowledge and assistance of the medical examiner, coroner, toxicologist,
or other specialist; but it will be a great help to him to know the symptoms of various
kinds of poisoning, the amounts of specific poisons that will cause death, and
length of time that may elapsed, after the poison has been taken, before death
occurs.
o Additional knowledge relative to a poison is helpful, for example, where the poison
obtained, its chemical formula other names such as industrial names etc. and what
the antidote is.
o A murderer does not use poisons having extreme odors, colors, or taste, as they
tend to raise suspicion in the intended victim. A suicide, on the other hand, may
take any poisonous substance regardless of its odor, color, or taste.

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▪ Preservation of Evidence
o The evidence (as biological in origin) can be preserved in a plastic or glass
container and stored in freezer 10˚C or below. Sample can be discarded according
to the laboratory policies and SOP’s.

ALCOHOL TOXICOLOGY

Alcohol is a class of organic compound containing

hydroxyl groups includes ethanol.
Ethanol is a specific kind of alcohol normally diluted with
water and consumed as beverages.

▪ Types of Alcoholic Beverages

o Fermented – low alcoholic content, example
beer = 4-6% ethanol
o Wine – 8-14%
o Distilled – high alcoholic content
▪ 100 proof = 50% ethanol
▪ 80 proof = 40% ethanol
o Combination (fortified; port & sherry wines)
▪ Alcohol Intoxication
o A person is said to suffer from alcohol intoxication when the quantity of alcohol the
person consumes exceeds the individual’s tolerance for alcohol and produces
behavioral or physical abnormalities.
o In other words, the person’s mental and physical abilities are impaired. The person
cannot function and certainly should not be operating a motor vehicle. It acts on
the forebrain then to the central and rear portion are affected.

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▪ Factors Affecting the Rate of Absorption

o Total time taken to consume the alcohol (the longer
the absorption, the lesser the blood alcohol)
o Alcohol content of the beverages (beer less
absorbed because of the carbohydrates)
o Amount consumed
o Quantity and type of food present in the stomach at
the time of drinking.

▪ Fate of Alcohol in the Body

o Absorption in the bloodstream
o Distribution throughout the body’s water (fat, bones and hair are low in water, less
alcohol) water rich is brain and vitreous humor.
o Elimination
▪ Oxidation – alcohol oxidized to carbon dioxide and water via acetaldehyde
to acetic acid using alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver.
▪ Excretion – breath, urine and perspiration.

▪ Blood Alcohol Level (BAL)

o The amount of alcohol in the blood stream
recorded in milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters
of blood, or milligrams percent.
o BAL of .10 that 1/10 of 1 percent (or 1/1000)
of your total blood content is alcohol.
o BAL depends on:
▪ Amount of blood (which will increase with
weight)
▪ The amount of alcohol you consume over
time (the faster you drink, the higher your BAL, as
the liver can only handle about a drink per hour—
the rest builds up in your blood stream).
o Blood alcohol concentration is directly
proportional to the alcohol concentration in brain.

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▪ Field Sobriety Test

o These preliminary or field sobriety test are performed to ascertain the degree of
suspects physical impairment. Positive requires the submission of blood.
o Consist of psychophysical test and preliminary “Breath Test”.
1. Psychophysical test includes horizontal gaze nystagmus, one leg stand,
walk and turn.
a. Horizontal gaze nystagmus – Nystagmus is uncontrollable and
unaware that twitching is happening as the eye move toward the side.
b. One leg stands and walk
i. Divided-attention task
ii. Ability to execute two or more instructions at one time.
iii. Walk & Turn: suspect walk a straight line, touching heel to toe
at nine steps, then turn around and repeat the process.

2. Breathalyzer – first developed in 1954 by Police Captain

RF Borkenstein of Indiana State Police. The instrument is based on
reaction of Potassium Dichromate with ethanol and sulfuric giving
chromium sulfate, potassium sulfate acetic acid and water. The
chromate was measured using spectroscopic principles.

3. Blood Alcohol Examination – using Conway method and

potassium dichromate test giving ethanol green coloration.

▪ HANGOVER

o Alcohol is diuretic leading dehydration to

your body. Dehydration caused many of
the symptoms of a hangover, such as
headaches, loss of concentration and
fatigue.
o Muscles do not perform well, and since
your blood decrease in volume,
becoming thicker and more viscous. It is
less able to carry dissolved gases and its
flow is slowed, so the speed at which you

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eliminate nitrogen and other gases is reduced.

▪ How to treat hangover?

o Do not drink coffee, tea, cola and chocolate all contain caffeine, which acts as a
diuretic. Any food or drink that has 8 or more grams of carbohydrate per 100ml will
make your body take water into the gut to dilute it. The simple solution: drink water
at the same time.
o Alternatives are soup, apple juice, fruit squashes and isotonic sports drinks
(Gatorade). Beware some juices and soups cause dehydration.
o Eat tomatoes.

DRUG IDENTIFICATION

To determine the presence of drugs first, a forensic chemist must first do a

screening test to narrow possibilities. The second phase of the analysis must be devoted
to pinpointing and confirming the drug’s identity. There are several tests which can be help
identify a routine-drug identification scheme:

a. Color test – screening purposes only and are not conclusive.

1. Marquis – turns purple in the presence of

heroin and morphine and most opium
derivatives.

2. Dillie-Koppanyi – turns violet-blue in the

presence of barbiturates.

3. Duquenois-Levine – turns purple in the

presence of marijuana.

4. Van Urk – turns blue purple in the presence

of LSD.

5. Scott test – tests for cocaine with blue color forming.

6. Simon’s – blue coloration indicates presence of secondary amphetamine.

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b. Microcrystalline test – crystal formation pattern.

c. Chromatography – TLC and GC are most often used.
d. Spectrophotometry – uses UV and IR light. UV is not conclusive but probable
identification of drugs. IR can specifically identify a substance.
e. Mass Spectrometry – can separate compounds in a drug but cannot be used for
identification of components. In combination with GC (GC/ MS) is highly specific
means of identification of drugs.
f. Morphological features – Marijuana has cystolithic hairs (“bear claws”) on both
sides of it.

References:
Viccelio, Peter, Emergency Toxicology, 2nd edition Lippincott – Raven Publisher, Philadelphia, 1998
Poison and Poison Investigation, New York.
Sunico, Lorenzo A, Forensic Toxicology, NBI Manila
Recommended methods for analysis of drugs, United Nations, New York,1994.

LINKS

TOPIC LINK FOR VIDEO

Video Demonstration of Standard Field

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w7d5beBE8c
Sobriety Test
How Scientists Test Blood Alcohol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-vWiEbY-c4
Levels | The New Detectives

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