1. Chapter 8 Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol
“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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2. Chapter 8
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3. Chapter 8
A history of poison…
dates from before 4500 BC to the present day. Poisons have been used for many purposes most commonly as weapons, anti-venoms, and medicines. Poison has allowed much progress in branches of medicine, toxicology, and technology, among other sciences.
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4. Chapter 8 `
Nazi war leader Herman Goering even used it to kill himself the night before he was supposed to be hanged during the Nuremberg Trials. Adolf Hitler had also taken a pill of cyanide shortly before the fall of Berlin along with his wife, Eva Braun
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5. Chapter 8
Example: Strychnos toxifera, a plant used for the making of dart and arrow poisons:
Strychnine
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7. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
Chapter 8
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8. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
Chapter 8
The Colorado River Toad or Bufo alvarius, also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad, is a psychoactive toad found in the Southwestern U.S and northern Mexico..
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Chapter 8
The toad's primary defense system is glands that produce a poison that is potent enough to kill a full grown dog. These parotoid glands also produce the 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin for which the toad is known; both of these chemicals belong to the family of hallucinogenic tryptamines. The presence of these substances in the skin and poison of the toad produces psychoactive effects when smoked.
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10. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
Chapter 8
Bufotenine is a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S. While possession of the toad is not a crime in itself (in Arizona, U.S.A., one may legally bag up to ten toads with a fishing license), it could constitute a criminal violation if it can be shown that one is in possession of this toad with the intent to milk and smoke its venom. In Nov. 07, a man in Kansas City was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance when police discovered B. alvarius toad poison in his possession.
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11. Chapter 8
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12. Dog Eats Poison Toad

13. Chapter 8
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14. Chapter 8
Pesticides in crop dusting planes spread toxins in our air and on our food in order to kill crop destroying pests
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15. In this Unit You will learn: A measurable approach to toxicology.
Chapter 8
In this Unit
You will learn:
A measurable approach to toxicology.
The danger of using alcohol.
The connection of blood alcohol levels to the law, incapacity, and test results.
Poison vocabulary
Design and conduct scientific investigations.
Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.
Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
Communicate and defend a scientific argument.
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16. Biological Definition of Poison
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Biological Definition of Poison
Substances that can cause disturbances to organisms by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. Legally and in hazardous chemical labeling, poisons are especially toxic substances; less toxic substances are labeled "harmful", "irritant", or not labeled at all.
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17. Medical Definition of Poisons
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Medical Definition of Poisons
(particularly veterinary) and in zoology, a poison is often distinguished from a toxin and a venom. Toxins are poisons produced via some biological function in nature, and venoms are biologic toxins that are injected by a bite or sting to cause their effect, while other poisons are generally defined as substances which are absorbed through epithelial linings such as the skin or gut.
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18. Cattle poisoned overnight by ingesting a toxin in a poisonous weed
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Cattle poisoned overnight by ingesting a toxin in a poisonous weed
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19. Toxicology: The study of the adverse
Chapter 8
Toxicology:
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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20. Forensic Toxicology Postmortem—medical examiner or coroner
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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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21. Toxicology Toxic substances may: Be a cause of death
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Toxicology
Toxic substances may:
Be a cause of death
Contribute to death
Cause impairment
Explain behavior
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22. A history of Poisoners:
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A history of Poisoners:
Olympias—a famous Greek poisoner
Locusta—personal poisoner of Emperor Nero
Lucretia Borgia—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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23. The Severity of the Problem
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The Severity of the Problem
“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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24. People of Historical Significance
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People of Historical Significance
Mathieu Orfila: A.K.A. the father of forensic toxicology, published in 1814 “Traite des Poisons” describing the first systematic approach to the study of the chemistry and physiological nature of poisons.
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25. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
Chapter 8
His Role in Forensic Toxicology
If there is reason to believe that a murder or attempted murder may have been committed using poison, a forensic toxicologist is often brought in to examine pieces of evidence such as corpses and food items for poison content. In Orfila's time the primary type of poison in use was arsenic, but there were no reliable ways of testing for its presence. Orfila created new techniques and refined existing techniques in his first treatise, Traité des poisons, greatly enhancing their accuracy.
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26. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
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In 1840, Marie LaFarge was tried for the murder of her husband using arsenic. Mysteriously, although arsenic was available to the killer and was found in the food, none could be found in the body. Orfila was asked by the court to investigate. He discovered that the test used, the Marsh Test, had been performed incorrectly, and that there was in fact arsenic in the body, allowing LaFarge to be found guilty.
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27. Aspects of Toxicity Dosage
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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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28. Chapter 8
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Chapter 8
Lethal Dose
LD50—refers to the dose of a substance that kills half the test population, usually within four hours
Expressed in milligrams
of substance per
kilogram of
body weight
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30. Chapter 8
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31. Chapter 8
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32. Toxicity Classes LD50 (rat,oral) Toxicity
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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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33. Federal Regulatory Agencies
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Federal Regulatory Agencies
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
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34. Symptoms Poison Types Poison Symptom/Evidence
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Symptoms Poison Types
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
Sulfuric acid Black vomit
Hydrochloric acid Greenish-brown vomit
Nitric acid Yellow vomit
Phosphorous Coffee brown vomit. Onion or garlic odor
Cyanide Burnt almond odor
Arsenic, Mercury Pronounced diarrhea
Methyl (wood) or Nausea and vomiting, unconsciousness,
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol possibly blindness
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35. Critical Information on Poisons
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Critical Information on Poisons
Form
Common color
Characteristic odor
Solubility
Taste
Common sources
Lethal dose
Mechanism
Possible methods of administration
Time interval of onset of symptoms.
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
—John Trestrail from “Criminal Poisoning”
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36. To Prove a Case Prove a crime was committed Motive Intent
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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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37. Forensic Autopsy Look for: Order toxicological screens
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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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38. Human Specimens for Analysis
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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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39. Alcohol—Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH)
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Alcohol—Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH)
Most abused drug in America
About 40% of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related
Toxic—affecting the central nervous system, especially the brain
Colorless liquid, generally diluted in water
Acts as a depressant
Alcohol appears in blood within minutes of consumption; minutes for full absorption
Detoxification—about 90% in the liver
About 5% is excreted unchanged in breath, perspiration and urine
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40. DUI: driving under the influence
DWI: driving while intoxicated
OUI: operating under the influence
OWI: operating while intoxicated
MIP: minor in possession
DUI or DWI?
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41. Man Eats Underwear to Beat Breathalyzer
An 18-year-old man tried to eat his underwear
while sitting in the back of a police car in the
hope that it would absorb the alcohol before he
took a Breathalyzer test.
—abstracted from The Advocate
This didn’t work. He had a BAC of 0.08.

42. Chapter 8
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43. Chapter 8
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44. Chapter 8
EVERY 15 MINUTES: paramedic Norm Desautels covers the body of Darrell Reed as Justin Eaglin and Rita Gonzalez mourn his death from a drunk driving accident as student at Tracy High took part in the "Every 15 Minutes" event. The program simulates a drunk driving accident with a fatality and arrest. Leading up to the accident one student is removed from class every 15 minutes as an example of the lives lost from DUI accidents. Photo by Glenn Moore
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45. Rate of Absorption Depends on: amount of alcohol consumed
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Rate of Absorption
Depends on:
amount of alcohol consumed
the alcohol content of the beverage
time taken to consume it
quantity and type of food present in the stomach
physiology of the consumer
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46. BAC Blood Alcohol Content
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BAC Blood Alcohol Content
Expressed as percent weight per volume of blood
Legal limits in all states is 0.08%
Parameters influencing BAC:
Body weight
Alcoholic content
Number of beverages consumed
Time between consumption
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47. BAC Burn off rate of 0.015% per hour but can vary: Male Female
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BAC
Burn off rate of 0.015% per hour but can vary:
Male
BAC male = x (oz) x (% alcohol)
body weight
Female
BAC female = x (oz) x (% alcohol)
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48. Alcoholic proof
a measure of how much alcohol (i.e., ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage. The measure is commonly used in the United States, where it is defined as twice the percentage of alcohol by volume.
At 60°F (15.5°C). 100-proof whiskey contains 50% alcohol by volume; 86-proof whiskey contains 43% alcohol.
Sailors and Rum

49. BAC male = 0.071 x (oz) x (% alcohol) body weight
What would be the approximate BAC of a 185 pound man who has consumed three shots (1.5 oz each) of Jack Daniels (80 proof = 40% alcohol) within an hour? Should he drive? What about after an hour?
BAC male = x ( oz) x ( % ) = ( )
______________ X
Burn off rate of 0.015% per hour but can vary

50. BAC female = 0.085 x (oz) x (% alcohol) body weight
What would be the approximate BAC of a
185-pound female (yes, she is a giant - 6’5” tall) who has consumed three shots (1.5 oz each) of Jack Daniels (80 proof = 40% alcohol) within an hour?
BAC female = x ( oz) x ( % ) ( )
After an hour: ______________ X % =

51. Chapter 8
Henry’s Law
When a volatile chemical is dissolved in a liquid and is brought to equilibrium with air, there is a fixed ratio between the concentration of the volatile compound in the air and its concentration in the liquid; this ratio is constant for a given temperature. THEREFORE, the concentration of alcohol in breath is proportional to that in the blood.
This ratio of alcohol in the blood to alcohol in the alveolar air is approximately 2100 to 1. In other words 1 ml of blood will contain nearly the same amount of alcohol as 2100 ml of breath.
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54. Chapter 8
Field Tests
Preliminary test: determines the degree of suspect’s physical impairment and whether or not another test is justified.
Psychophysical tests—3 Basic Tests
Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN): follow a pen or small flashlight, tracking left to right with one’s eyes. In general, wavering at 45 degrees indicates 0.10 BAC.
Nine Step walk and turn (WAT): comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time.
One-leg stand (OLS): maintain balance, comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time.
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55. The Breathalyzer More practical in the field
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The Breathalyzer
More practical in the field
Collects and measures alcohol content of alveolar breath
Breath sample mixes with 3 ml of % K2Cr2O7 in sulfuric acid and water
2K2Cr2O7 + 3C 2H5OH + 8H 2SO4  2Cr2(SO4) K2SO4 + 3CH3COOH + 11 H2O
Potassium dichromate is yellow, as concentration decreases its light absorption diminishes so the breathalyzer indirectly measures alcohol concentration by measuring light absorption of potassium dichromate before and after the reaction with alcohol
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56. The Alcolock car breathalyzer

58. Chapter 8
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59. Chapter 8
Generalizations
During absorption, the concentration of alcohol in arterial blood will be higher than in venous blood.
Breath tests reflect alcohol concentration in the pulmonary artery.
The breathalyzer also can react with acetone (as found with diabetics), acetaldehyde, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, and paraldehyde, but these are toxic and their presence means the person is in serious medical condition.
Breathalyzers now use an infrared light absorption device with a digital read-out. Prints out a card for a permanent record.
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60. Chapter 8
People in the News
John Trestrail is a practicing toxicologist who has consulted on many criminal poisoning cases. He is the founder of the Center for the Study of Criminal Poisoning in Grand Rapids, Michigan which has established an international database to receive and analyze reports of homicidal poisonings from around the world. He is also the director of DeVos Children’s Hospital Regional Poison Center. In addition, he wrote the book, Criminal Poisoning, used as a reference by law enforcement, forensic scientists and lawyers.
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61. Chapter 8
More Information
Read more about Forensic Toxicology from Court TV’s Crime Library at:
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