Chapter 6
Toxicology:Poisons and Alcohol
“All substances are poisons. There is none which is not. The right dose differentiates a poison and remedy.”
—Paracelsus (1495-1541). Swiss physician and chemist
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Toxicology and Alcohol
A quantitative approach to toxicology.
The danger of using alcohol.
Students will learn:
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Toxicology and Alcohol
Discuss the connection of blood alcohol levels to the law, incapacity, and test results.
Understand the vocabulary of poisons. 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.
Students will be able to:
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Toxicology
Definition—the study of the adverse effects of chemicals or physical agents on living organisms.
Types:Environmental—air, water, soilConsumer—foods, cosmetics, drugsMedical 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 deathContribute to deathCause impairmentExplain behavior
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Historical Perspective 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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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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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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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
Chapter 6
Death by WaterHold your wee for a wii
In 2007, a mother tried to win a wii game for her son at a radio show contest
Contestants had to drink a water bottle every 5 minutes without using the bathroom
The mother died of water poisining12
Chapter 6
How much water is too much water?
1.5 to 2.0 gallons can be toxic to your body
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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
50-500 mg/kg to an ounce moderately
500-5000 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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Federal Regulatory Agencies
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Consumer Product Safety CommissionDepartment of Transportation (DOT)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
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Symptoms of Various Typesof 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 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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Critical Informationon 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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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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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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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;
30-90 minutes for full absorption Detoxification—about 90% in the liver About 5% is excreted unchanged in breath, perspiration
and urine
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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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BACBlood 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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BAC
Burn off rate of 0.015% per hour but can vary:
MaleBAC male = 0.071 x (oz) x (% alcohol)
body weight Female
BAC female = 0.085 x (oz) x (% alcohol) body weight
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Field Tests Preliminary tests—used to determine 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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Implied Consent Law
Driver must consent to tests or lose license
Implemented to prevent refusal to take breath test on grounds of self incrimination
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Mouth Alcohol
Alcohol present in a breath test subject’s mouth Presence of mouth alcohol causes the concentration
detected in exhaled breath to be higher then the actual blood concentration
Sources include Regurgitation Belching Recent intake of an alcoholic beverage Recent gargling of alcohol containing mouthwash
Chapter 6
Forensics 4/1/13
Welcome back! Any good spring break stories?
Don’t forget to turn in extra credit assignment Midterm Friday: includes CH 6 quiz
(toxicology) CH. 8 blood, CH. 5 Drugs CH 6 supp questions are due this Fri 4/5/12
(Bring your textbook Wednesday)29
Chapter 6
Case Study
Read the Case Study: Death by Tylenol
Answer the following questions as a group:
1. Where did this event take place?
2. What is Product Tampering ?
3. How do you think the investigators determined the capsules contained a quantity of poison “ten thousand times what was needed to kill an average person” ?
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Chapter 6
The Metabolism of alcohol
Metabolism:
The transformation of a chemical in the body to other chemicals to facilitate its elimination from the body
Happens in three steps: absorption, distribution and elimination
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Absorption
Alcohol enters the blood stream by passing across the wall of the stomach and small intestine
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Distribution
The alcohol becomes evenly distributed throughout the watery parts of the body (including the blood and the brain)
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Elimination
Alcohol is eliminated in two ways:
1.oxidation: the combination of alcohol with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water (oxidation occurs in the liver)
2. excretion: elimination of alcohol from the body in an unchanged state (breath and urine)
95% of consumed alcohol eliminated through oxidation
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Chapter 6
Alveoli
Small sacks in the lungs that exchange oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases with the blood
Carbon dioxide and other volatile chemicals (alcohol) are then expelled through the nose and mouth
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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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The Breathalyzer More practical in the field Collects and measures alcohol content of alveolar breath
Breath sample mixes with 3 ml of 0.025 % K2Cr2O7 in sulfuric
acid and water2K2Cr2O7 + 3C 2H5OH + 8H 2SO4 2Cr2(SO4)3 + 2K2SO4 + 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
Chapter 6
The Breathalyzer
More modern breathalyzers don’t use chemicals
1. Infrared Light Absorption: Alcohol present in a subject’s breath reacts with a particular wavelength of inrared light
2. The Fuel Cell: a chemical reaction involving alcohol produces electricity (electrons)
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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.
Chapter 6
Forensics 4/2/13
Don’t forget to bring your textbook Wednesday/Thursday so that you can work on your CH 6 questions and prepare for your midterm Friday!
Midterm Friday: Primarily on CH 6 with questions from CH 5 (drugs) and CH 8 (blood)
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Chapter 6
A man of 185 lbs drinks three shots (1.5 oz/shot) of Jack Daniels 80 proof (40%) in an hour.
1. What is his BAC?
2. Is it ok for him to drive home? Explain
3. What is the BAC if the above person is a woman?
4. Why the difference from male to female for BAC?
Chapter 6
Rank from most to least intoxicated and explain your reasoning.
John 200lb had eight 8oz drinks on a full stomach.
Frank 170 lb had four 8oz drinks on an empty stomach
Gary 240 lb had six 8oz drinks on an empty stomach
Stephan 180 lb had six 8oz drinks on a full stomach
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Blood Samples
Clean injection site with non-alcohol astringent Need preservative and refrigeration Over time alcohol breaks down
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Blood Samples
Forensic Laboratories use gas chromatography to determine blood-alcohol content
Compare alcohol peaks with KNOWN blood- alcohol standards
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Chapter 6
Hair samples
The only viable option if it is necessary to ascertain whether a subject has been abusing a drug over a longer period of time
( drugs remain in blood stream for 24 hours and in urine for up to 72 hours)
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Chapter 6
Hair Samples
Hair is nourished by blood flowing close to the hair root
Drugs present in blood become permanently trapped in hair’s protein structure
Can date the presence of drugs dating back over a period of weeks, months and sometimes years
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Chapter 6
Case Study
Read the case study: Joann Curly: Caught by hair
Answer the following questions as a group:
1. If Bobby’s urine showed high levels of thallium in his body, does this indicate recent or distant exposure?
2. How did investigators determine that Bobby wasn’t exposed to the poison at work?
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Chapter 6
Match the organization to the concerns
Organizations
1) FDA 2) EPA 3) Consumer Product Safety Commission 4) DOT 5) OSHA
Concerns
a. Toxins in consumer products
b. Exposure to chemicals in the work place
c. Agricultural and industrial chemicals
d. Pharmaceuticals, food additives and medical devices
e. Shipment of toxic chemicals
Chapter 6
More Information on alcohol
http://www.intox.com/t-AboutAlcohol.aspx http://www.intox.com/t-Physiology.aspx
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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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More Information
Read more about Forensic Toxicology from Court TV’s Crime Library at:
http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/toxicology/2.html