Transcript Drug Identification and Toxicology

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
• Increase feelings of energy and alertness
Rise in temp
• Suppress appetite
Sweating
• Often depression afterwards Confusion
Rapid breathing
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Crack
Dilated pupils
Stimulants
Methamphetamines
(most potent)
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
EEEEK!

Pesticides: duration
of exposure is imp
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 2560% 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Marquis – opium alkaloids
Cobalt thiocyanate – cocaine
P-DMAB – LSD
Duquenois – marijuana
Cobalt acetate/isopropylamine –
barbituates
Marquis Test detects
• Heroin
turns purple
• Morphine turns purple
• Codeine turns purple
• Amphetamines turns redbrown
2. Cobalt thiocyanate
• Cocaine produces blue flaky participate
3. Pdimenthlyaminobenzaldehyde
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
• Red-violet color
Test
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