1. TOXICOLOGY

2. What is Toxicology?
Toxicology is the science that studies the origin, nature, and properties of various poisons and/or drugs in body fluids, tissues and organs.
Categories of toxicology include:
Environmental --- air, water, soil
Consumer --- foods, cosmetics, drugs
Medical --- illness and injury
Clinical --- affect on the body
Forensic --- contribution to crime

3. Forensic Toxicologist
A forensic toxicologist uses the application of toxicology for the purpose of solving criminal cases.
They are generally concerned with three main categories:
Detection of poisons and drugs in body fluids, tissues or organs. (spectrophotometry)
Testing for alcohol in urine or blood samples (gas chromatography, breathalyzers)
Identification of narcotics such as cocaine (thin-layer chromatography, color testing)

4. The first category - Poisons

5. DEFINITION OF POISON
A poison is any agent capable of producing harm in a living organism.
All substances are poisons;
there is none which is not a
poison. The right dose
differentiates a poison from
a remedy.
Paracelsus ( )

6. CATEGORIES OF POISONS Medicinal Agricultural Environmental/Industrial
Natural
Household
Warfare

7. FORMS AND TYPES OF POISONS
Poisons may be found in the form of:
Liquids – Ex. Gasoline
Solids – Ex. Pills
Sprays – Ex. Spray Cleaners
Invisible/Gas – Ex. Carbon Monoxide
Poisons are distinguished as poisons, venoms or toxins.
However, the term poison is generally used to describe the entire group.

8. Poison, Venom or Toxin ?
A poison is a substance that is harmful when it is consumed or touched.
Examples of poisons are neurotoxins on the skin and feathers of the hooded pitohui.

9. Poison, Venom or Toxin?
Venom is a poison that is injected under the skin. All venom comes from animals.

10. Poison, Venom or Toxin?
Toxins are poisonous substances produced by living cells or organisms.
Ex: Botulinum

11. How is someone poisoned?
Poisons may enter the body as a single massive dose or accumulate over time.
A poison may be ingested, injected or inhaled.
cROCUS

12. What is a Lethal Dose?
LD50—refers to the dose of a substance that kills half the test population, usually within four hours.
It is expressed in milligrams of substance per kilogram of body weight.

13. Toxicity Classes LD50 (rat,oral) Toxicity
Correlation to Ingestion by 150 lb Adult Human
Toxicity
<1mg/kg
a taste to a drop
extremely
1-50 mg/kg
to a teaspoon
highly
mg/kg
to an ounce
moderately
mg/kg
to a pint
slightly
5-15 g/kg
to a quart
practically non-toxic
Over 15g/kg
more than 1 quart
relatively harmless

14. RESULTS OF EXPOSURE LEVELS
Acute- death in less than 24 hours
Sub-Acute- death in one month or less
Sub-Chronic- death in 1-3 months
Chronic- death in 3 months or never from the poison

15. THE CRIME OF POISON Called the “coward’s weapon”
First choice of female poisoners
There are no witnesses
There is no sign of violence

16. Clues of a Poisoning
Different poisonings will have different effects on the body.
The Medical Examiner will look for irritated tissues, characteristic odors and Mees lines which are single transverse white bands on nails.
Analysis of body fluids are used to confirm the poisoning.

17. POISONERS IN HISTORY Egyptians (3000 BCE)
administered the penalty of the peach
Sumerians (2500 BCE)
worshipped Gula, goddess of poison
Hebrews (1000 BCE)
used poisoned arrows

18. POISONERS IN HISTORY India (600-100 BCE) Added poison to food
Mithridates (100 BCE – Prince of Persia)
Practiced on self
Created an antidote
Greeks
“intoxicated” used to describe poisoning
Socrates poisoned with hemlock the 1st case of capital punishment

19. POISONERS IN HISTORY Romans Agrippina wife of Claudius
Locusta the personal poisoner of Nero
770 Roman females convicted as poisoners
Banned growth of Wolfsbane
1st law for homicide with poison

20. POISONERS IN HISTORY
1419- “Council of Ten” – Venice’s “City Counsel” would put out poisoning contracts on political enemies
Italian schools for poisoners were popular
In the 1570’s, 30,000 in Paris used poison illegally
1776 George Washington was served poison peas
1800’s food tasters came into being

21. POISONERS IN HISTORY
Louis XIV - priests warned of epidemic so he created poison task force
1900’s life insurance industry caused an increase in poisonings
Arsenic - used as inheritance powder
1851 Arsenic Act

22. Orfila known as the father of forensic toxicology
Mathieu Orfila
known as the father of forensic toxicology
1814 published book called “Traite des Poisons” which described the study of the nature of poisons.

23. THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF POISONS ARE ACIDS AND BASES
Acids There are many different kinds of acids, both harmful (strong) and harmless (weak). Most all have the same symptoms of creating burns, mostly around the mouth, lips and eyes when ingested.

24. STRONG ACIDS
Hydrochloric Acid- is used to clean bricks and metals as well as digesting food.
Sulfuric Acid- mainly used in manufacturing paints, plastics, and fertilizers.
Nitric Acid- is used in removing tarnish and making explosives.

25. WEAK ACIDS Carbonic Acid- known for carbonating beverages.
Boric Acid- used in washing the eyes.
Phosphoric Acid- used to make fertilizers and detergents.
Acetic Acid- used to make cellulose
acetate for fibers
and films.
Citric Acid- used in making
soft drinks.

26. BASES Bases are substances that have a pH scale between 7 and 14.
Some examples include products such as lye, potash and hydroxides.
Symptoms of a base poisoning
are similar to acid in creating
burns around the mouth, lips
and eyes.

27. Poisonous or Not?
Often, a very common substance becomes poisonous due to the amount ingested, injected or inhaled.
The LD50 is the lethal amount.
The following examples are by no means all of the possible poisons, venoms or toxins.

28. ALCOHOL AS A POISON
A Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .40 is the average LD50 for alcohol.
Legal limit in Georgia for someone driving is .08
Symptoms: vomiting, passed out, difficult to awaken and slow, shallow breathing.
Death from drowning in vomit or falling asleep and never awakening

29. AMATOXIN Poisonous component of mushrooms
Vomiting and profuse watery diarrhea followed by liver damage and finally the kidneys stop functioning
One mushroom is lethal

30. ANTHRAX Potential agent for biological warfare Spore forming bacteria
Symptoms within 7 days
Rare in humans, but
common in animals

31. ANTIFREEZE Ethylene Glycol A few tablespoons lethal for animals
Sweet taste, odorless, colorless
Forms crystals in the kidneys

32. ARSENIC heavy metal and can be found in minerals in the ground
used as a pesticide and herbicide.
can create severe unexplained diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain. It may produce a garlic breath odor.

33. Result of Arsenic Poisoning

34. CARBON MONOXIDE
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas created by the incomplete combustion of a fossil fuel.
Usually, poor maintenance or damage of an
appliance in a poorly ventilated area is the
main cause of CO poison
Exposure to CO causes headaches, nausea, convulsions, and ultimately death.
CO poisoning turns the skin
bright cherry pink

37. CYANIDE Cyanide kills very quickly. Victims will have red skin.
Potassium cyanide that was
leaked into the water causes
great damage to the ecology.
Potassium cyanide smells
like bitter almonds.

38. FOOD POISONING
E. coli, botulism and salmonella are three of the main culprits in food poisoning.
They can cause great abdominal pain, vomiting and even death.
Symptoms occur within 2-6 hours.

39. HEMLOCK Greatest amount of toxin in the roots.
May be mistaken for wild carrots
Acute sweating followed by paralysis.
Socrates execution

40. INSECTS Many insects contain poisons or venom.
A person needs to receive immediate medical attention if bitten or stung. These include:
Scorpion
Brown recluse spider
Tick

41. NICOTINE
Nicotine is usually inhaled through cigars and cigarettes and affects the lungs, heart and brain. Poisoning can lead to dizziness, nausea, seizures, and coma.

42. PLANTS Several plants are known for their poisons
A few favorites include:
Poison Oak Poison Sumac Poison Ivy
“Leaves of three, let them be”

43. RICIN Found in castor beans Prevents cells from making proteins
Poison of bioterrorism
1 mg is lethal

44. SNAKES Several snakes are poisonous in the Southeast including
rattlesnakes, copperheads,
cottonmouths/water
moccasins, and coral snakes..
Immediate medical attention
is needed if bitten.

45. STRYCHNINE
The berries of this plant contains the majority of the poison
Ingesting just a few seeds can cause death.
Causes a person to have convulsions and a darkening of the face and neck.

46. THALLIUM Mimics potassium in the body Builds over time to cause death
Banned in U.S. since 1984
Cancer, hair loss and
numb extremities

47. Polonium - 210
Because polonium emits only alpha particles, it can be safely carried in glass vials and will not set off radiation detectors at airports.
Once ingested, it is hard to detect, because all the radiation remains in the body.
A lethal dose could be as little as a few milligrams.

48. WATER Extreme consumption of water in a short period of time
Results in electrolyte imbalance
Associated with long distance runners, and
ecstasy use at raves
Symptoms similar to
dehydration

49. POISONINGS: ACCIDENTAL AND CRIMINAL
In North America, approximately two million cases of poisonings are voluntarily reported each year.
“If all those buried in our cemeteries who were poisoned could raise their hands, we would probably be shocked by the numbers.”
—John Harris Trestrail, “Criminal Poisoning

50. Federal Regulatory Agencies that deal with Toxicological Issues
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)