Identify the 5 types of controlled substances Relate signs and symptoms of overdose with specific class of drugs or toxins Describe the role of various types of toxins in causing death Discuss agents that may be used in bioterrorism Define and describe the goals and practice of toxicology
Controlled substance Drug Metabolism Narcotic Poison Toxicity Toxin
Toxicology is the study of poisons and the identification of drugs and other substances a person may have used for various purposes Examines the harmful affects of poisons and drugs on the body
Primary duty Detect and identify drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs
Drugs/toxins exposed by Ingesting so they enter the gastrointestinal system Inhaling them into lungs Injecting them into the bloodstream Absorbing them through skin
Toxicity The degree to which a substance is poisonous or can cause injury Factors Dose Duration Nature of exposure Other
Intentionally Treat illness or pain relief Accidentally Ingested or exposed (harmful combo) Deliberately Suicide or purposing harming others
Dates back to ancient Greece 17 th century Poisoning became profession Arsenic and cyanide “inheritance powder” 19 th century-chemical analysis began Mathieu Orfila & Robert Christison
All chemicals that enter the body are broken down by chemicals in the body Metabolism (transformation of chemical) Absorption Through blood stream Distribution Carried to all parts of the body Elimination Oxidation takes place in the liver
Less than ½ of 1% of all homicide result from poisoning Acute poisoning High does over short period of time Chronic poisoning Lower dose over long period of time
Controlled substance Legal drugs whose sales, possession, and use are restricted because of the effect of the drugs and the potential for abuse Narcotics Depressants Stimulants
Living organism Alcohol Ethyl alcohol Bacteria Botulism tetanus
Heavy metals Absorbed by ingestion, inhalation, or absorb through skin Arsenic Lead Mercury Gases Hydrogen cyanide Carbon monoxide Potassium chloride Sodium pentathal
Ricin (waste from castor oil and castor bean) Difficulty breathing, nausea, fever, cough, excess fluid in lungs, dehydration Lethal Anthrax (bacillus anthracis) 25-60% fatal if ingested Flu-like symptoms
Must be collected under medically accepted conditions Sealed in airtight container & addition of anticoagulant & preservative Stored in refrigerator & delivered to lab
Research one of the following cases related to toxicology Provide summary of case Drugs/toxins involved in case (stimulants, depressant, etc) Outcome (accidental, deliberate, intentional) Resources cited Mary Ansell (1899) Eva Rablen (1929) Death of Georgi Markov (1978) and Attack on Vladimir Kostove (1978) Tylenol Tampering (1982)