TOXICOLOGY

… is the scientific study of adverse effects that occur in living organisms

due to chemicals. it involves observing and reporting symptoms,
mechanisms, detection and treatments of toxic substances, in particular
relation to the poisoning of humans
 POISONING
• is the state produced by the introduction of toxic substances from outside the
body that produces injurious or fatal effects to the victim
• cosmetics and personal care products, home cleaning products, medications,
and plants are the most common toxic substances
• mostly occurs in the home and are accidental
 POISONING

• children are victims of accidental poisoning; inability to read warning labels,

a desire to imitate adults, and inadequate supervision
• elderly are the second most likely group that are the victims of accidental
poisoning due to poor eyesight, the use of multiple drugs and mental
confusion
• there are those that occur as suicide attempts and those where criminal intent
is the reason for the poisoning
 FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY

• the use of toxicology and other disciplines such as analytical chemistry,

pharmacology, and clinical chemistry to aid medical or legal investigation of
death, poisoning, and drug use
• used to verify if the cause of death of a victim is poisoning, it is also used to
aid law enforcers and trained medics to render treatment as the occasion
demands and to serve the ends of justice
SOURCES OF POISONS
PLANTS
PLANTS
PLANTS
PLANTS
PLANTS
 SYMPTOMS OF PLANT POISONING

• irritation of the skin or mucous membranes of the mouth and throat to nausea
• vomiting
• convulsions
• irregular heartbeat and death
• difficult to tell if a person has eaten a poisonous plant because there are no
tell-tale empty containers and no unusual lesions or odours around the
mouth
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
 SYMPTOMS OF HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL
POISONING

• nausea, vomiting, and burns on the lips and skin around the mouth
• may leave a distinctive odour on the breath
• empty container nearby may indicate poisoning
INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS
PHARMACEUTICALS
MICROBIAL
ANIMALS
How Poisons May Enter the Body How Poisons May Be Eliminated
From the Body

Mouth Emesis or Vomitus

Skin Respiration

Nose & Eyes Feces

Rectum & Vagina Urine

Hypodermically Milk

Intravenously Sweat, Saliva, & Tears

 TYPES OF POISONING

ACUTE
• Involves having ingested or having
been administered a strong poison
or having taken an overdose of
medicine
 TYPES OF POISONING

CHRONIC
• happens when small doses are
administered over a long period of
time until such time its level reaches
a toxic level if it is not withdrawn
 EVIDENCE OF POISONING

CIRCUMSTANTIAL OR MORAL
EVIDENCE SYMPTOMATIC EVIDENCE
• there no direct evidence that links the • poisoning may manifest as different
perpetrator to the crime but motive can symptoms observable in the victim
be deduced or a person was seen
making the purchase of the poison
• not a conclusive evidence
but not in the administration or poison
was found in his or her possession
 EVIDENCE OF POISONING

CHEMICAL EVIDENCE POST MORTEM EVIDENCE

• based on the analytical test
results conducted on the
samples
• when a victim dies, tissue obtained
from organs of the body can be
examined for the presence of
poisons
• can be ruled out by a pathologist
 EVIDENCE OF POISONING

EXPERIMENTAL
EVIDENCE
• conducted by the simulation of
symptoms in living animals such as
experimental rats by administering
the suspected substance
 GENERAL TREATMENT OF POISONING

• contact a poison control center or hospital emergency room

• for plant poisoning, induce vomiting if the person is conscious ( administer
ipecac )
• for acids, alkali or petroleum products, the patient should NOT be made to vomit
• doctors treats patients with specific remedy, antidote or may decide to pump and
evacuate the stomach of the victim or administer intravenous fluids or mechanical
ventilation
 Type of Poison Intervention
Ingested If victim is conscious

• Acids or alkali • Do not induce vomiting; perform

gastric lavage
• Petroleum Products • Do not induce vomiting; perform
gastric lavage
• Induce vomiting using an emetic
• Induce evacuation through the
• Food alimentary canal
• Administer precipitant through
medical intervention

Inhaled Remove from source of poison;

administer oxygen if possible
Case specific – depending on the inhalant

Bites/Stings Administer anti venom, topical anti-

inflammatory agents, antihistamines,
analgesics
 INVESTIGATION OF POISONING

• being done by a medico-legal and a toxicologist

• police investigators perform significant role in the collection,
preservation and packing of samples
• the ability to preserve the evidence will determine its value during
the litigation process
 URINE

• drawing from the bladder of the victim – post mortem

• usual practice of obtaining the sample in a clean sample
bottle provided by a technician, or hospital, or the
individual himself – if the victim is alive
 BLOOD
• approximately 10 ml is usually sufficient to screen and confirm
most common toxic substances
• it provides the toxicologist with a profile of the substance that the
subject was influenced by at the time of collection
 HAIR
• can store chemicals from the bloodstream especially in the follicle
of growing hair; provide a rough timeline of drug intake events
• the darker and coarser the hair, the more drug that will be found
( raises issues of possible racial bias in substance tests )
 ORAL FLUID

• composed of many things and concentrations of drug typically parallel those

found in blood
• it is postulated that drugs pass into oral fluid through a process known as
passive diffusion
• gaining importance in forensic toxicology for showing recent drug use such
as driving under the influence of substances
 OTHER BODILY FLUIDS AND ORGANS

• some samples are collected during autopsy; mostly gastric content samples
• provides qualitative information concerning the nature of the last meal and
the presence of abnormal constituents
• it can be useful in determining the victim’s whereabouts or actions prior to
death
OTHER ORGANISMS
METHODS OF TESTING POISONS

ISOLATION IDENTIFICATION
SCREENING AND CONFIRMATION
 LABORATORY TESTING METHODS

GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
 LABORATORY TESTING METHODS

DETECTION OF METALS
 LABORATORY TESTING METHODS

Non-volatile Organic
Substances like pesticides,
natural products, pollutants,
and industrial compounds
 OTHER METHODS ( PREVIOUS )

Spot Tests
• Marquis Reagent, Mecke reagent, and Froehde’s Reagent for opiates
• Marquis Reagent and Simons’ reagent for amphetamine,
methamphetamine, and other analogs like MDMA
• Scott’s test for cocaine
• Modified Duquenois reagent for marijuana and other
cannabinoids
 FORENSIC QUESTIONS FOR THE
TOXICOLOGIST

• Is the death or illness of the victim caused by a poison?

• What poison could have caused the death or illness of the victim?
• When and how was the poison administered?
• What was the source of the poison?
 FORENSIC QUESTIONS FOR THE
TOXICOLOGIST

• Was the poisoning accidental or intentional?

• What was the quantity of the poison taken?
• Was the quantity sufficient to cause death?
• Can the poison extracted from the body have an origin other than
that of poisoning? Could it have caused by disease?