Module 4- Toxicology

Introduction
Poisoning is the state produced by the introduction of toxic substances from outside the
body that produces injurious or fatal effects to the victim. The most common toxic substances
taken in are cosmetics and personal care products, followed by home cleaning products,
medications, and plants. Most poisoning occurs in the home and is accidental.

As police investigators and law enforcers, poisoning resulting from accidental, suicide,
and criminal poisoning all fall within the scope of responsibility.

Toxicology is the study of how natural or man-made poisons cause undesirable effects in
living organisms- their origin, physical and chemical properties, effects and treatment; and
methods of detection. Frequently, toxicological examinations are requested in cases of sudden
and unexplained deaths. Toxicology is important in order to verify if it is the case of poisoning;
to be able to treat as the occasion demands and to forward justice.

The word “toxicity” describes the degree to which a substance is poisonous or can cause
injury. The toxicity depends on a variety of factors: dose, duration and route of exposure, shape
and structure of the chemical itself, and individual human factors. This term relates to poisonous
or deadly effects on the body by inhalation (breathing), ingestion (eating), or absorption, or by
direct contact with a chemical

A toxicant is any chemical that can injure or kill humans, animals, or plants; a poison.
The term “toxicant” is used when talking about toxic substances that are produced by or are a by-
product of human-made activities. For example, dioxin (2,3-7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
{TCDD}), produced as a by-product of certain chlorinated chemicals, is a toxicant. On the other
hand, arsenic, a toxic metal, may occur as a natural contaminant of groundwater or may
contaminate groundwater as a by-product of industrial activities. If the second case is true, such
toxic substances are referred to as toxicants, rather than toxins.

The term “toxin” usually is used when talking about toxic substances produced naturally.
A toxin is any poisonous substance of microbial (bacteria or other tiny plants or animals),
vegetable, or synthetic chemical origin that reacts with specific cellular components to kill cells,
alter growth or development, or kill the organism.

Module 4 contains topics about Forensic Toxicology. It encompasses the sources, types,
evidence, general treatment and investigation of poisoning, and methods of testing poisons.
 Lesson 1- Forensic Toxicology

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson the

students will be able to:

1. Explain forensic
toxicology and Rasputin was a peasant monk who wielded
poisoning; considerable power in Russia because of his
2. Describe the sources, influence over Tsar Nicholas and his family.
In 1916, Prince Yusupov and a group of
types, evidence,
aristocrats decided to assassinate him. They
general treatment invited him to a midnight banquet and served
and investigation of cake and wine liberally laced with cyanide. He
poisoning and reportedly consumed enough Potassium
methods of testing Cyanide to have killed him but he did not
poison ; suffer any ill effects because the
characteristics of this substance is that it
3. Discuss Posology;
rapidly deteriorates when exposed to air, heat
and or light converting it to a harmless substance
of Potassium Carbonate. This gave Rasputin
his reputation as a great magician and wizard.
He finally was shot five times and then
drowned in a sack before he could die.
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4.1 Forensic Toxicology

Toxicology addresses a variety of questions. For example, in agriculture, toxicology

determines the possible health effects from exposure to pesticides or herbicides, or the effect of
animal feed additives, such as growth factors, on people. Toxicology is also used in laboratory
experiments on animals to establish dose-response relationships. Toxicology also deals with the
way chemicals and waste products affect the health of an individual.
Forensic Toxicology is used to help establish cause and effect relationships between
exposure to a drug or chemical and the toxic or lethal effects that result from that exposure. It is
used to verify if the cause of death of a victim is poisoning. It is also used to aid law enforcers
and trained medics to render treatment as the occasion demands and to serve the ends of justice.
Currently, forensic toxicology is the study of alcohol, drugs (licit and illicit) and poisons,
including their chemical composition, preparations and identification. It includes knowledge
about the absorption, distribution and elimination characteristics of such substances in the body,
as well as the manner in which the body responds to their presence and the factors which
determine drug safety and effectiveness. To understand drug action one must know where and
how the effects occur in the body.
4.2 Sources of Poisoning (Toxins)
A. Plant Toxins
Different portions of a plant may contain different concentrations of chemicals. Some
chemicals made by plants can be lethal. For example, taxon, used in chemotherapy to kill cancer
cells, is produced by a species of the yew plant. Some plants are confusing because portions of
them are eaten as food while other parts are poisonous. For example, the leaves of tomatoes are
poisonous, while the fruit is not. Rhubarb stalks are good to eat, but the leaves are poisonous.
Apricots, cherries, and apples all produce healthful fruit, but their seeds contain a form of
cyanide that can kill a child if chewed in sufficient quantities.
Some household plants that contain some poisonous parts are the following: azalea, bird-
of-paradise flower, calla lily, eucalyptus, hydrangea, morning glory, potato, rhubarb, sweet pea.
B. Animal Toxins
These toxins can result from venomous or poisonous animal releases. Venomous animals
are usually defined as those that are capable of producing a poison in a highly developed gland
or group of cells, and can deliver that toxin through biting or stinging. Examples are marine
animals such as jelly fishes, insects such as bees, reptiles such as snakes and dogs, cats, bats,
rats. Poisonous animals are generally regarded as those whose tissues, either in part or in their
whole, are toxic.
C. Household Chemicals
Many products used daily in the home are poisonous if swallowed. These products often
contain strong acids or strong bases (alkalis). Toxic household cleaning products include:
ammonia, bleach, dishwashing liquids, drain openers, floor waxes, furniture polishers, laundry
detergents, spot cleaners, fabric softeners, oven cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners.
D. Industrial and Agricultural Products
Paints, gasoline, glues, adhesives, kerosene, automotive fluids, batteries, building,
products, metal primers, naphthalene balls, pesticide sprays and chemicals, disinfectants,
thinners, are a few of substances that fall under this category.
E. Pharmaceuticals
Medical Drugs if taken at the right dosage and for the right ailment or condition can bring
relief and healing. The right dosage has to do with the right amount, the right time and the right
route of administration. When taken in wrong quantities and through wrong routes however, they
can be harmful.
F. Microbial
Microscopic organisms such as bacteria produce substances that are considered
poisonous to human beings. Botulism is an example where bacteria inside an improperly
sterilized can produces toxins which when eaten will cause food poisoning. Tetanus is also
caused by microorganisms that thrive in soil, rusty and dirty objects. When these
microorganisms enter the body, they produce toxins that can be fatal to human beings.
4.3 Types of Poisoning
1. Acute Poisoning – one in which there is prompt and marked disturbance of function or
death within a shorter period of time and is due to: (1) taking a strong poison, (2) Excessive
single dose, (3) Several doses, small but frequent.

2. Chronic Poisoning- kind of poisoning in which there is gradual deterioration of

functions of tissues and may or may not result in death. It may be produced by: (1) Taking
several small doses at long intervals, (2) Taking only toxic doses of the drug.

4.4 Evidence of Poisoning

1. Circumstantial or Moral Evidence – is an evidence deduced from occurrence of facts or
circumstances. These are not strong evidence. Examples: motives for poisoning, purchasing the
poison, keeping the materials used.

2. Symptomatic Evidence- this includes the symptoms of vomiting, convulsions, coma, general
or partial analysis, slow or rapid respiration, delirium. These cannot be considered as conclusive
evidence. Examples: arsenic poisoning like cholera, alcoholic coma may stimulate diabetic
come.

3. Chemical Evidence- obtained by chemical analysis of the suspected substance or the vomit or
secretion of the body. This alone is not reliable because the poison may be decomposed or
changed or it may have been replaced after death.

4. Postmortem Evidence- when a victim dies, tissue obtained from organs of the body can be
examined for the presence of poisons, however, that do not produce characteristic findings. Also,
the findings may be like those produced by diseases.
5. Experimental Evidence- is obtained by administering the suspected substance to some living
animal and noting the effect of symptoms, however, it is not also conclusive.

4.5 Treatment of Poisoning

The table below summarizes the appropriate remedies in case of poisoning:
Type of Poison Intervention
Ingested If victim is conscious:
 Acids or Alkali Do not induce vomiting; perform gastric lavage.
 Petroleum Products Do not induce vomiting; perform gastric lavage.
 Food Induce vomiting using an emeric.
Induce evacuation through the alimentary canal.
Administer precipitant through medical intervention.
Inhaled Remove from source of poison; administer oxygen if available.
Case specific-depending on the inhalant.
Bites/Stings Administer anti venom, topical anti-inflammatory agents,
antihistamines, analgesics.

Definition of terms used:

 Emetics – are agents that produce vomiting in patients.
 Cathartic – are agents that stimulate evacuation of the poison through the alimentary
canal.
 Precipitants – are agents that prevent the absorption of poisons by rendering them
insoluble through precipitation.
 Gastric Lavage – this is also commonly called stomach pumping or gastric irrigation. It is
the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach.
 Antidote – these are substances that render the poison harmless and therefore minimize
injury to the victim.
 Demulcents – substances that soothe and protect organs upon which it is applied.
4.6 Methods of Testing Poisons
The examination may be divided in two (2) stages;
1. Isolation
The process of isolation will reduce the interference from other substances as well as
limit the search to a manageable number of possibilities. Thus, poison may be classified
according to their method of isolation as:
a. Volatile poisons – isolated by extraction with alcohol and chloroform
b. Non-volatile poisons – isolated by extraction with organic solvents such as
strychnine and other alkaloids
c. Metallic poisons – these are poisons such as arsenic, mercury and lead.
d. Other substances requiring special methods of isolation like corrosive acids.
 2. Identification
Preliminary tests are performed on samples such as microscopic examination and flame
tests. Then followed by confirmatory test using analytical methods to establish the
identity and level or amount of poison present. The modern instruments uses in the
conduct of confirmatory tests are the infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer and gas
chromatograph (GC)
Entrance and Elimination of Poisons
Poison may enter the body through: They may be eliminated by:
Mouth Emesis
Skin Respiration
Nose and Eyes Feces
Rectum and vagina Urine
Hypodermically Milk
Intravenously Sweat, saliva and tears

Case study
Kristen Rossum
As reported in the Reader’s Digest and Scientific Sleuthing Review, Kristen Rossum was
married but unhappy. Although her husband of a year and a half, Gregory de Villers, 26, had
rescued her from a downward spiral of drug addiction and had married her, she soon found a new
love. Her boss at the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, toxicologist Michael
Robertson, 31, indulged in love affair with Kristen and showed her more romance than did her
husband. She wanted to escape, and she had the means to do so right there in the lab where she
and her lover worked. Using a lethal dose of fentanyl, a powerful pain killer that had not been
inventoried, she managed to poison her husband and then stage his death as a suicide. She even
added rose petals around his body, as special touch, in tribute to a scene in American Beauty, her
favourite movie. However, suspicions were sufficiently aroused to prevent the body from being
cremated, and the rose and the lethal drugs were traced back to Rossum, so as her lover headed
back to Australia, she was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder.
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Analysis:
1. Is the death of the victim caused by a poison? What poison could have caused the death?
2. What was the source of poison?
3. Was the poisoning accidental or intentional? Why?
4. How was the poison administered? What was the quantity of the poison taken?
5. How was the murderer convicted?
4.8 Posology
Posology is a science which deals with the study of the dosage of medicine to be
administered within a certain period.
 Dose – is the quantity of medicine to be administered at one time. The dosage concept is
important. Whether a drug acts as a therapy or poison, it will depend on the dose.
1. Safe Dose – is one that does not cause harmful effects.
2. Minimum Dose – is the smallest amount of medicine that can produce the desired
therapeutic effect without causing harm.
3. Maximum Dose- is the largest amount that will cause no injury but at the same time
produce the desired therapeutic effects.
4. Toxic or Poisonous Dose – is one that is harmful both to the healthy and the sick.
5. Lethal or Fatal Dose – is the dose that kills.
Antidote – is any agent that neutralizes a poison or otherwise counteracts or opposes its effects.

Kinds of Antidote

1. Chemical or true or specific antidote is one that makes the poison harmless by chemically
altering it.
2. Mechanical antidote or antidotal measure is an agent that removes the poison without
changing it; coats the surface of the organs so that absorption is prevented.
3. Physiological antidote or antagonist or symptomatic antidote.

Causes of Death in Poisoning

1. Cardiac failure
2. Respiratory failure
3. General devitalizing
4. Shock to the nervous system
 CONCEPT CHECK A

1. The study of poisons is of interest to law investigators is known as ___________.

2. A criminal caused tetanus on his victim by presenting himself as a doctor and

using a contaminated needle on his victim. This type of poison is microbial toxin.
(1). True, (2) False.
3. Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive substance. Intervention would be to administer is
___________________.

4. ____________________is an evidence of poisoning when a victim dies, tissue

obtained from organs of the body can be examined for the presence of poisons.
5. A toxic substance produced by biological system is specially referred to as a
____________.

6. The most common target organ of toxicity is the brain and spinal cord. (1) True,
(2) False.
7. Dose that will result in the death of a person. _______________________.

8. All substances can be toxic depending on the dosage. (1) True, (2) False
9. Chronic exposure to toxins occurs almost immediately when the toxin is given. (1)
True, (2) False.

10. The process of isolation is performed on testing poison to reduce the interference
from other substances as well as limit the search to a manageable number of
possibilities. (1) True, (2) False

References

Orodio-Garcia, Gladys Mae. (2014). Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology (with Laboratory
Manual). Purely Books Trading and Publishing Corp. Manila

Dascil- anete, Arlen .(2010). Essentials of Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology in Criminal
Justice System. Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc. Quezon [Link]://[Link]/biology/dna-
structure/

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