1. Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol
“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”

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Toxicology
Definition—the study of the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on living organisms.
Types:
Environmental — air, water, soil
Consumer — foods, cosmetics, drugs
Medical, clinical, forensic
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Forensic Toxicology
Postmortem — medical examiner or coroner
Criminal — motor vehicle accidents (MVA)
Workplace—drug testing
Sports—human and animal
Environment—industrial, catastrophic, terrorism
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Toxicology
Toxic substances may:
Be a cause of death
Contribute to death
Cause impairment
Explain behavior
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5. Historical Perspective of Poisoners
Olympias — a famous Greek poisoner
Locusta — personal poisoner of Emperor Nero
Lucretia Borgia — her father was Pope Alexander VI
Madame Giulia Toffana — committed over 600 successful poisonings, including two Popes.
Hieronyma Spara—formed a society to teach women how to murder their husbands
Madame de Brinvilliers and Catherine Deshayes—French poisoners.
AND many others through modern times.
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6. People of Historical Significance
Mathieu Orfila — known as the father of forensic toxicology, published in 1814 “Traite des Poisons” which described the first systematic approach to the study of the chemistry and physiological nature of poisons.
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Aspects of Toxicity
Dosage
The chemical or physical form of the substance
The mode of entry into the body
Body weight and physiological conditions of the victim, including age and sex
The time period of exposure
The presence of other chemicals in the body or in the dose
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Aspects of Toxicity
The time period of exposure
Chronic exposure
Larger amounts spread out over a long period of time
Causes medical problems such as weakness, sluggishness, hair & weight loss, mental instability, and skin & liver cancer.
Acute exposure
Refers to a dose large enough to cause immediate problems, including death.
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Aspects of Toxicity
The presence of other chemicals in the body or in the dose or in the dose of the toxin:
Synergism
the combination of two chemicals increases their individual effects
ex: sedatives and alcohol
Antagonism
the combination of two chemicals decreases their individual effects
ex: some blood-pressure medicines and OTC cold medicines with decongestants
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Lethal Dose
LD50—refers to the dose of a substance that kills half the test population (lab rats), usually within four hours.
Expressed in milligrams of substance per kilogram of body weight
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Toxicity Classes
LD50 (rat,oral)
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
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Some Lethal Doses
Material
LD50, mg/kg, rats, oral
Sucrose (sugar)
29,700
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)
7,060
Sodium chloride (table salt)
3,000
Caffeine
192
Sodium cyanide (spy novels – poison capsules)
6.4
Ricin
0.020
Botulin toxin –
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It’s All in the Dose?
Hormesis refers to the concept that substances that kill at high dosages are actually beneficial at low dosages.
Ex: botulin used to erase wrinkles and ease migraines.
“All substances are poisons. There is none which is not. The right dose differentiates a poison and remedy.”
—Paracelsus ( ). Swiss physician and chemist
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14. Federal Regulatory Agencies
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – deals with pharmaceuticals, food additives, and medical devices.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – works with agricultural and industrial chemicals released to the environment.
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15. Federal Regulatory Agencies
Consumer Product Safety Commission – concerned with toxins in consumer products.
Department of Transportation (DOT) – watches over the shipment of toxic chemcials
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – is concerned with exposure to chemicals in the workplace.
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16. Symptoms of Various Types of Poisoning
Type of Poison Symptom/Evidence
Caustic Poison (lye) Characteristic burns around the lips and mouth of the victim
Carbon Monoxide Red or pink patches on the chest and thighs, unusually bright red lividity
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17. Symptoms of Various Types of Poisoning
Type of Poison Symptom/Evidence
Sulfuric acid Black vomit
Hydrochloric acid Greenish-brown vomit
Nitric acid Yellow vomit
Phosphorous Coffee-brown vomit; onion or garlic odor
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18. Symptoms of Various Types of Poisoning
Type of Poison Symptom/Evidence
Cyanide Burnt almond odor
Arsenic, Mercury Pronounced diarrhea
Methyl alcohol Nausea & vomiting,
aka wood alcohol unconsciousness
Isopropyl alcohol Possibly blindness
aka rubbing alcohol
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19. Critical Information on Poisons
—John Trestrail from “Criminal Poisoning”
Form
Common color
Characteristic odor
Solubility
Taste
Common sources
Lethal dose
Mechanism
Possible methods of administration
Time interval of onset of symptoms.
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20. Critical Information on Poisons
—John Trestrail from “Criminal Poisoning”
Symptoms resulting from an acute exposure
Symptoms resulting from chronic exposure
Disease states mimicked by poisoning
Notes relating to the victim
Specimens from victim
Analytical detection methods
Known toxic levels
Notes pertinent to analysis of poison
List of cases in which poison was used
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To Prove a Case
Prove a crime was committed
Motive
Intent
Access to poison
Access to victim
Death was caused by poison
Death was homicidal
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Forensic Autopsy
Look for:
Irritated tissues
Characteristic odors
Mees lines—single transverse white bands on nails.
Order toxicological screens
Postmortem concentrations should be done at the scene for comparison
No realistic calculation of dose can be made from a single measurement
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23. Human Specimens for Analysis
Blood
Urine
Vitreous Humor of Eyes
Bile
Gastric contents
Liver tissue
Brain tissue
Kidney tissue
Hair/nails
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