Summary Forensic Toxicology
Lesson 1
Toxicologie: De studie van schadelijke interactie tussen middelen en biologische systemen.
Forensic toxicology: application of toxicology for the purposes of the law.
Purpose of the law
- Criminal law
o Deadly poisoning
o Overdose
o Drink and drive
o Did they take any drug?
- Civil right
o Flaw in medical treatment
o Exposure to harmful substances in the workplace
- Doping in sports
There is a difference between medical and forensic drug and toxicology tests.
Medical
- No permission needed from patient
- Sample identity is suspected
- Analyte is known
- Screening result is enough
Forensic
- Legal base or permission is necessary for testing
- Identity sample needs to be demonstrated
- Analyte is not known
- Results are used for juridic actions
In forensics they investigate toxicity of deaths and living and they do drug testing. They also enforce
legal exposure limits and make sure the water, air and food are safe.
There are 7 kinds of toxics: gasses, volatile substances, drugs, metals, pesticides, anions and various
substances.
For an investigation in forensic toxicology there is a certain order.
1. Case history (needed to narrow investigation) context, proof from crime scene.
2. Analytical determination chemical, biomarkers
3. Toxicologic interpretation
4. Presentation results
Post-mortem forensic toxicology is used to determine if alcohol, drugs, or other toxicants are used
which contributed to the death of a person.
What is investigated?
- Biological samples
o Blood, urine, oral fluid, stomach and intestinal contents, eye fluid, sweat, breath,
hair, nails, bile, lung, brain, liver, kidney and bones.
- Expositions
o Crime scene food and drinks, glasses, needles etc
- Medicine and drugs
, Why are they investigated?
They give quantitative (how much) and qualitative (is it there) information about the presence of
illegal substances.
Matrixes
- Urine
o Many drugs and metabolites can be found here in higher concentrations than blood.
o Can not always be used, analyte not present but metabolite is
o Drug can longer be seen in urine than in blood
- Liver
o Most important organ because it has the biggest tissue that can be used.
o Much literature available, has concentrated value of drugs
o Gall shows that analyte has been longer in the body before they died.
- Eye fluid
o Used when body is entirely burned or dug up.
o Only ratio ethanol blood: eye fluid is known
- Stomach contents
o Visual investigation can show tablets of parts of capsules (qualitative). It is not
homogeneous.
- Blood
o Important to know where the blood comes from.
o Hematomes show what medicine were present the moment of forming.
Injection spots, needles and nose swabs are used as quantification.
There is a list for the samples where there is noted who receipt the samples (case history, suspected
cause of death and relevant medical information), the selection of the samples, the collection
(suited methods and adequate volumes for analysis) and the storage and handling of the samples.
Then, the methodology for the investigation of the samples starts:
- Detection (screening method)
- Identification and confirmation (chemical testing)
- Quantification
- Interpretation (done by toxicologist)
Post mortem analysis
1. Separation of analyte and matrix (removal proteins, Log P, pKa are important, LLE and SPE)
2. Identification of sample (based on chromatographic characteristics, color tests)
3. Confirmation (second type of chromatography, specificity)
4. Quantification (external or internal standards, matrix effects are taken into account)
Lesson 2
The aim of an investigation is always to use an analytical technique and extraction for a specific
toxicant for the analysis of the sample.
An investigation starts with optimalisation (developing a method, using reference samples and
validation. After the optimalisation, the following steps take place:
Detection, extraction analysis of biological matrix, identification of analyte, confirmation of analyte
with a different technique, quantification of analyte and the interpretation of the results and
rapports.
Lesson 1
Toxicologie: De studie van schadelijke interactie tussen middelen en biologische systemen.
Forensic toxicology: application of toxicology for the purposes of the law.
Purpose of the law
- Criminal law
o Deadly poisoning
o Overdose
o Drink and drive
o Did they take any drug?
- Civil right
o Flaw in medical treatment
o Exposure to harmful substances in the workplace
- Doping in sports
There is a difference between medical and forensic drug and toxicology tests.
Medical
- No permission needed from patient
- Sample identity is suspected
- Analyte is known
- Screening result is enough
Forensic
- Legal base or permission is necessary for testing
- Identity sample needs to be demonstrated
- Analyte is not known
- Results are used for juridic actions
In forensics they investigate toxicity of deaths and living and they do drug testing. They also enforce
legal exposure limits and make sure the water, air and food are safe.
There are 7 kinds of toxics: gasses, volatile substances, drugs, metals, pesticides, anions and various
substances.
For an investigation in forensic toxicology there is a certain order.
1. Case history (needed to narrow investigation) context, proof from crime scene.
2. Analytical determination chemical, biomarkers
3. Toxicologic interpretation
4. Presentation results
Post-mortem forensic toxicology is used to determine if alcohol, drugs, or other toxicants are used
which contributed to the death of a person.
What is investigated?
- Biological samples
o Blood, urine, oral fluid, stomach and intestinal contents, eye fluid, sweat, breath,
hair, nails, bile, lung, brain, liver, kidney and bones.
- Expositions
o Crime scene food and drinks, glasses, needles etc
- Medicine and drugs
, Why are they investigated?
They give quantitative (how much) and qualitative (is it there) information about the presence of
illegal substances.
Matrixes
- Urine
o Many drugs and metabolites can be found here in higher concentrations than blood.
o Can not always be used, analyte not present but metabolite is
o Drug can longer be seen in urine than in blood
- Liver
o Most important organ because it has the biggest tissue that can be used.
o Much literature available, has concentrated value of drugs
o Gall shows that analyte has been longer in the body before they died.
- Eye fluid
o Used when body is entirely burned or dug up.
o Only ratio ethanol blood: eye fluid is known
- Stomach contents
o Visual investigation can show tablets of parts of capsules (qualitative). It is not
homogeneous.
- Blood
o Important to know where the blood comes from.
o Hematomes show what medicine were present the moment of forming.
Injection spots, needles and nose swabs are used as quantification.
There is a list for the samples where there is noted who receipt the samples (case history, suspected
cause of death and relevant medical information), the selection of the samples, the collection
(suited methods and adequate volumes for analysis) and the storage and handling of the samples.
Then, the methodology for the investigation of the samples starts:
- Detection (screening method)
- Identification and confirmation (chemical testing)
- Quantification
- Interpretation (done by toxicologist)
Post mortem analysis
1. Separation of analyte and matrix (removal proteins, Log P, pKa are important, LLE and SPE)
2. Identification of sample (based on chromatographic characteristics, color tests)
3. Confirmation (second type of chromatography, specificity)
4. Quantification (external or internal standards, matrix effects are taken into account)
Lesson 2
The aim of an investigation is always to use an analytical technique and extraction for a specific
toxicant for the analysis of the sample.
An investigation starts with optimalisation (developing a method, using reference samples and
validation. After the optimalisation, the following steps take place:
Detection, extraction analysis of biological matrix, identification of analyte, confirmation of analyte
with a different technique, quantification of analyte and the interpretation of the results and
rapports.
