Transcript forensic science - McEachern High School

FORENSIC SCIENCE
Toxicology
1
Today’s Topic:
 POISONS
 Due
today: 20/20 Burned
2
Getting Started: 3-19
 What
are 3 signs of ARSON?
3
Today’s agenda
 Poison
Video
 Poisoned products lab- view results at table
1 or 2
 Finish Poison Notes
4
Drug Quiz
 You
may use your notes and/or drug
assignments
 After you finish:
 Complete the Poisoned products labTABLE TWO OR THREE
 Complete the Spectro. Practice on TABLE
FOUR
 Complete Poison notes from blackboard
5
After you finish your video
organizer…
 Complete
the Poisoned Products labTABLE TWO OR THREE
 Complete the Spect practice on TABLE
FOUR
 Complete the poison notes from Blackboard
 Monday-
we’re in the computer lab to work
on your project
6
This week’s schedule:
 Monday-
Poisons
 Tuesday- Alcohol
 Wednesday- Arson
 Thursday- in media center to work on
project presentation
 Friday- Presentations
 Monday- Unit Test
7
Today’s agenda:
 Watching
Poison Video- you fill out your
organizer
 After video- get poison notes from MHS
website
 Over the Counter Poison lab- materials at
TABLE ONE
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POISONERS in HISTORY
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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.
9
Things to consider about poison:
 Chemical
form (solid, liquid, crystal, etc.)
 How enters body (shot versus swallowed)
 Body weight and condition of victim
 Age of victim (infants/elderly are more
susceptible)
 Time period of exposure
10
Symptoms of Various
Types of Poisoning
Type of Poison
• Caustic Poison (lye)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Symptom/Evidence
Characteristic burns around the lips
and mouth of the victim
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,
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol unconsciousness, possibly blindness
Things to know about Poisons
People can be exposed to toxic substances by:
 intentionally- by treating illness or relieving pain
 Accidentally- by harmful combinations or
overdoses
 Deliberately- by harming or killing others or by
committing suicide
 Acute- large dose of poison all at once
 Chronic- small doses over a long period of time

12
Bacterial Toxins
Tetanus- lockjaw as it is sometimes called, is
produced by the bacterium, Clostridum tetani. It’s
poison can cause violent muscle spasms
 Botulism- produced by the bacteria Clostridium
botulinum, botulism paralyzes muscles. It causes
irreversible damage to nerve endings. Very small
amounts are extremely deadly. Botulism is the
most poisonous biological substance.

13
Pesticides and Heavy Metals
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Pesticides are mostly used to protect plants or food crops.
Heavy metal compounds can damage many organs in the
body. Heavy metals are typically found in rat poisons,
paint, etc.
Ex: of metals- arsenic, bismuth, antimony, mercury,
thallium
Screening for these metals would be done by dissolving
body fluids in HCl & insert a copper strip, a silvery coat on
copper indicates heavy metal
Called the Reinsch test
14
Bioterrorism Agents
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Ricin- poisonous protein in the castor bean. Is lethal in
extremely small amounts. Can enter the body by being
inhaled as a mist/powder or may be ingested as food/drink
or injected. Ricin can cause death within a few hours
Anthrax- is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis,
which forms spores. Can be spread to humans from
infected animals. Can enter the human body through:
Inhalation- causing breathing problems that usually result
in death
Ingestion- becoming fatal in 25-60% of cases
Absorption in skin- leading to death in about 20% of
untreated cases
15
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
 Can
result in accidental death from heating
systems, space heaters
 Also a very common form of suicide by
inhaling the auto fumes
 Carbon monoxide, CO, combines with the
hemoglobin in blood resulting in oxygen
insufficiency resulting in death by
asphyxiation
 Signs of CO poisoning- red/pink patches on
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skin
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