1. Drugs and Poisons
Use the following slides to fill out your fact sheet on each type of drug and toxin.

2. Alcohol

3. Alcohol
Description: A beverage made up of fermented grains, fruits, and other plants. A depressant, meaning it is used to help relax.
Symptoms of Overdose: Vomiting, confusion, seizures, shortness of breathe, sudden lapse into unconsciousness
How to test for It:
Breathalyzer: Blow into a device to measure blood alcohol levels
Blood: Stays in system for hours
Hair: Stays in system for 90 days
Urine: Measures metabolite ethyl glucuronide, which lasts in the system for 80 hours.

4. Arsenic

5. Arsenic
Description: A type of metal which is usually used in batteries and other electronics. Also a common pest poison.
Symptoms of Overdose: Vomiting, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea,
How to test for It:
Can only test for above average levels.
Able to test in blood
Urine: (Most reliable test) In system for hours
Hair and Fingernails: Can measure past 6-12 months.

6. Cyanide

7. Cyanide
Description: Found naturally in a lot of plant seeds. Used commercially in mining and pest control.
Symptoms of Overdose: Dizziness, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, vomiting. Symptoms usually occur within a matter of seconds.
How to test for It:
Prussian Blue Test: Will turn blue when mixed with Iron Sulfate
Copper with Gas: Used by miners to test if an area has cyanide in it. Will produce a blue color.

8. Mercury

9. Mercury
Description: A metal that is liquid at room temperature. Used primarily for industrial chemicals and electronics
Symptoms of Overdose: Muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness, trouble seeing and hearing.
How to test for It:
Can be tested for in blood and urine.

10. Lead

11. Lead
Description: A common metal used in a number of things. Was once used in paint and gasoline. Stopped because people realized it was toxic.
Symptoms of Overdose: Pain, muscle weakness, tingling, and metallic taste.
How to test for It:
Blood: Lasts in blood for up to 25 days.

12. Mushroom

13. Mushroom
Description: Amanita muscaria or the common toadstool. Sometime mistaken for edible mushrooms
Symptoms of Overdose: Symptoms appear with in minutes of consumption. Nausea, sweating, salivating, low blood pressure, audio and visual distortions.
How to test for It:
Can be tested for in urine.
Often stomach contents or vomit are analyzed for mushroom and spores.

14. Ricin

15. Ricin
Description: A deadly poison made from the castor oil plant. Used in a famous assassination by injecting it into a victim through an umbrella tip.
Symptoms of Overdose: Symptoms can take 6-12 hours and progress quickly from 12 – 24 hours. Early symptoms are cough and fever. Give way to bloody vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.
How to test for It:
Urine can be tested for the metabolite ricinine.
The Laboratory Response Network (LRN) has developed a test to test the environment for ricin.

16. Heroin

17. Heroin
Description: A highly addictive narcotic drug made from poppy seed plants. Is currently illegal in the United States.
Symptoms of Overdose: Slow and shallow breathing, blue lips and fingernails, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, and possible death
How to test for It:
Urine: In the system for 2-6 days
Blood/Saliva: In the system for 5-6 hours typically
Hair: Can be detected for up to 3 months

18. Cocaine

19. Cocaine
Description: An intense and addictive stimulant drug derived from coca leaves from South America. Currently illegal in the US.
Symptoms of Overdose: Irregular Heartbeat, heart attack, convulsions, stroke, and death.
How to test for It:
Urine: Can be detected up to 2-5 days
Hair: Can be detected up to 90 days
Blood: Can be detected up to 2-10 days

20. Marijuana

21. Marijuana
Description: A mind altering drug produced by the Cannabis sativa plant. THC is the chemical that causes the mind altering affect. Legal in some state in the US.
Symptoms of Overdose: Sedation, blood shot-eyes, impaired judgment, increased heart rate, low blood pressure. No reported death from marijuana.
How to test for It:
Urine: Can stay in system from 1-30 days
Duquenois-Levine reagent: In the presence of marijuana, will turn from clear to purple
Hair: Can stay in system for 90 days
Blood Can stay in system from 12 hrs to 7 days

22. Steroids

23. Steroids Description: A drug used to increase muscle growth
Symptoms of Overdose: Depends on the type of steroid used. Increases cholesterol levels, heart attacks, and strokes. Also increases mood swings and levels of aggression. Can’t overdose, but side effects can be harmful or deadly.
How to test for It:
Steroids can be tested for in urine, blood, and hair.