Drug Identification and Toxicology

Toxicology: study of poisons and the identification of drugs

Toxicity depends on many factors• dose• duration• Nature of exposure • Individual characteristics

Forensic Toxicology

• Determines cause and effect relationship between exposure to a drug and its toxic effects

Drug Identification• Could be a cause of death or a factor

contributing to a death

What’s the difference?

Classification of Toxic substances

• Intentionally: drug is taken to treat an illness or pain

• Accidentally: ex. Anna Nicole Smith

• Deliberately: : as in suicide or exposures intended to harm or kill

History

• Socrates : hemlock• 17th C: poison profession

– Royalty used arsenic – (inheritance powder and cyanide

• Toxic in small amounts

Murder by Poison

• <0.5% of homicides

• Nazi leaders: ingested

cyanide capsules 1945

• Jonestown cult: cyanide laced punch 1978

• Ricin killed Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov

• Russian ex spy Alexander Litvinenko: radiation 2006

Acute poisoning: high does over a short period of time

•Cyanide can be ingested or inhalation

Chronic poisoning: lower doses over long time

• mercury and lead

Controlled Substances

5 Classes

1. Hallucinogens

2. Narcotics

3. Stimulants

4. Anabolic steroids

5. depressants

Hallucinogens

• Affect – Perceptions– Thinking– Self awareness– emotions

Plant derived• Mescaline ( peyote:

cactus) • Marijuana

Chemically derived• LCD• ecstasy• PCP

Narcotics

• Reduce pain by suppressing the CNS ability to relay pain messages to the brain

Opium

•Heroin

•Codeine

•Vicodin

•Morphine

•Precocet

•oxycotin

Difficulty breathing

Low blood pressure

Drowsiness

Coma

Cold clammy skin

Small pupils

Stimulants

• Increase feelings of energy and alertness

• Suppress appetite

• Often depression afterwards

Amphetamines

Cocaine

Crack

Methamphetamines (most potent)

Rise in temp

Sweating

Confusion

Rapid breathing

Dilated pupils

High blood pressure

Kidneys

Bleeding in brain = death

Anabolic Steroids

• Promote cell tissue growth• Chemical like testosterone• Used for low levels of

testosterone and muscle wasting diseases

• Side effects:– Acne, baldness, high blood

pressure and cholesterol, sterility, blood clotting, kidney and liver cancers and heart attacks

Depressants

• Barbiturates and benzodiazepines• Relieve anxiety• Produce sleep• Decrease heart rate

– Increase activity of NT: GABA – causing drowsiness and slow brain activity– Side effecdts: slurred speeach, loss of coordination– Slow heart rate and respiration can cause coma and

death

Organic toxins: venom is a toxin from animal to human

Pesticides: duration of exposure is imp

EEEEK!

Poisons = death by inhibiting production of ATP

• Hydrogen cyanide

• Carbon monoxide

• Potassium chloride/ sodium pentothal (lethal injections)

ALL Alcohols are toxic

• Methanol – converted to formaldehyde in the liver

• Ethanol – converts to acetaldehyde and then acetic acid

• too much build up =hangover from dehydration

• -depress CNS

• Chronic = liver damage and dangerous behavior

Bacterial Toxins

• Botulism: most poisonous biological substance to humans– Clostridium botulinum

• Neurotoxin• Paralysis by blocking

release of Ach

• Tetanospasmin: toxin – Clostridium tetani– Poison blocks signals from spine to muscles causing

spasms so severe tear muscles and break bones• Worldwide : 1 million deaths/year• US 5 /year

Heavy metals

• Arsenic, Lead and Mercury

• Ingested, inhalation, absorption

• Stored in soft tissue damaging organs

Bioterrorism Agents

Ricin: waste product of castor oil production

Lethal in a dose the size of a pin

Death caused by the prohibition of proteins

Inhalation: <8 hrs; diff breathing,

Few hours: fever, cough, nausea, sweating, tightness in chest, low blood pressure, excess fluid in lungs and death

Ingestion: <6 hrs: vomiting, diarrhea, bloody urine, dehydration, low blood pressure, hallucinations, seizures and death

Skin and eye: redness and pain

Anthrax• Bacillus anthracis forms

endospores

Inhalation: flu like symptoms; worsen breathing problems and usually death

Ingestion: nausea, vomiting, fever, ab pain, severe diarrhea, fatal 25-60% of cases

Skin absorption: raised itchy bump like an insect bite, painless sore with a black center

20% fatality if untreated

Five Common Drug Tests

1. Marquis – opium alkaloids

2. Cobalt thiocyanate – cocaine

3. P-DMAB – LSD

4. Duquenois – marijuana

5. Cobalt acetate/isopropylamine –

barbituates

Marquis Test detects

• Heroin turns purple

• Morphine turns purple

• Codeine turns purple

• Amphetamines turns red-brown

2. Cobalt thiocyanate

• Cocaine produces blue flaky participate

3. P-dimenthlyaminobenzaldehyde

p-DMAB• Turns blue in the presence of

LSD

4. Duquenois Test

• Produces a purple color in the presence of marijuana

5. Cobalt acetate/isopropylamine

Test• Red-violet color produced in the presence of barbiturates

Drugs and Poisons Lab

• Read the background information

• In groups of 4, perform the steps at each Experiment station

• Take notes in the back of the lab and fill out the data sheet

• When complete, your group can complete the Crime Scene analysis