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What Is Forensic Toxicology?

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What Is Forensic Toxicology? benefits, risks and dangers associated with use and Briefing: abuse of illicit and recreational drugs, medications and alcohol. Forensic toxicology is governed through What is Forensic a professional certifying and accrediting board – The American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) – Toxicology? and promotes professional development and education through major professional organiza‐ tions, the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), Prepared by: the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and international organizations such as The The Forensic Toxicology Council, July 2010 International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT). What is Forensic Toxicology? Death Investigation Toxicology Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of (Postmortem Toxicology): drugs and chemicals on Forensic toxicologists work biological systems. Forensic with pathologists, medical toxicology deals with the The Forensic Toxicology Council (FTC) examiners and coroners in application of toxicology to was formed in 2009 to represent the helping to establish the cases and issues where interests of the major professional role of alcohol, drugs and those adverse effects have organizations in forensic toxicology in poisons in the causation of administrative or medico‐ the United States. The FTC is comprised death. The toxicologist legal consequences, and of the senior officers and identifies and quantifies where the results are likely representatives of the American Board the presence of drugs and to be used in court. Foren‐ of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT)*, the chemicals in blood and sic toxicology is a thorough‐ Toxicology Section of the American tissue samples. This is done ly modern science, based on Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)*, using state of the art published and widely chemical and biomedical accepted scientific methods and the Society of Forensic instrumentation capable of and practices, for both Toxicologists (SOFT)*. The FTC was detecting small amounts of analysis of drugs in formed specifically to provide toxic materials, positively biological materials, and information to government and policy identifying them, and ac‐ interpretation of those makers regarding this field, and to curately measuring how results. Many of the promote the advancement and much is present. Accuracy, methods it employs have development of forensic toxicology. validity and reliability are been derived from innova‐ essential, as this informa‐ tions in clinical medicine *The FTC does not speak for, or advocate policy on behalf of ABFT, AAFS, or SOFT. tion is used in the deter‐ and academic laboratories mination of cause and throughout the world. manner of death. Those Thousands of articles related to forensic toxicology determinations are the prerogative of the medical methods, instrumentation and interpretation are examiner or coroner; how‐ever, the toxicologist is a published in hundreds of peer reviewed journals key member of the team of experts that assist in that every year, and increase our understanding of the determination, consulting on pharmacology, drug Page 1 kinetics and interactions, metabolism, adverse and provides interpretation of the result with respect to idiosyncratic reactions, drug tolerance, postmortem whether the dose represents typical therapeutic use, artifacts, drug stability, and other factors. The recreational use, or potential abuse, and can provide pathologist considers this information in the context opinions about the likely effects of these patterns of of the investigative and medical history of the case, use. This can include performance enhancement and the findings of disease or other medical which occurs following the use of stimulants, and conditions at autopsy. Accurately establishing the impairment from recreational or prescription appropriate cause and manner of death has serious medication use and misuse. Forensic toxicologists implications for public health and public safety, and review and testify in cases of impaired driving forensically reliable toxicology is an essential involving alcohol and drugs, and address diverse component of that process. Death Investigation issues such as transportation safety, drug facilitated toxicology is performed by both public and private crimes, competency, intoxication and diminished laboratories and many private forensic laboratories capacity. Forensic toxicologists frequently testify in provide specialized expertise and services not court to both their findings and to their available in government laboratories. interpretation. This type of testing may occur in public crime laboratories, but also may be a function Human Performance Toxicology: of a health department in some states. Many blood Human Performance Tox‐ alcohol and drug testing icology deals with the cases are performed in The four disciplines of Forensic Toxicology: effects of alcohol and accredited private or drugs on human perform‐ Death Investigation Toxicology academic forensic toxic‐ ance and behavior, and (Postmortem Toxicology) ology laboratories that the medico‐legal conse‐ voluntarily observe the Human Performance Toxicology quences of drug and same standards in place alcohol use. This may Doping Control in the public sector. include investigations of Forensic Workplace Drug Testing Additionally, most states impaired driving, vehic‐ have thousands of al‐ ular assault and homicide, cohol breath testing operators which function under drug facilitated crimes including sexual assault, and certification from a wide variety of state systems. aircraft, motor vehicle and maritime collision Alcohol breath calibration laboratories are also investigations. Forensic toxicologists perform beginning to be accredited under ASCLD‐LAB and ISO analysis of drugs and alcohol in biological samples, 17025. Alcohol breath testing produces evidence in typically blood and urine, but increasingly in other DUI and impairment cases but is also integral in matrices such as oral fluid, and hair, for the purposes workplace drug testing. of determining the timing, extent, and impairment resulting from different patterns of drug and alcohol Doping Control: use. The toxicologist uses state‐of‐the‐art analytical methods, such as are found in many research and Governing bodies of most competitive and hospital laboratories to isolate drugs from complex intramural sports have derived rules regarding biological samples, prepare them for analysis performance enhancing drug use to protect the through extraction and purification, then determine health and welfare of the amateur and professional the identity and amount of drug present. Following athletes, to maintain a fair and even competitive the analytical phase, the forensic toxicologist standard, and avoid wagering fraud. This applies to Page 2 both human and animal sports. International groups scientists employ highly uniform and well‐defined such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), techniques and methods to minimize the risk of the World Anti‐Doping Agency (WADA), and the errors, and ensure that employees are treated fairly International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and that testing is done to the highest forensic (IFHA) work to update and maintain these lists as standards. The majority of workplace drug testing is patterns of drug use change. Enforcing these rules not covered directly by accreditation programs requires periodic off‐season random and event‐ however. These unregulated programs can perform focused drug testing for performance enhancing tests using other matrices such as oral fluid, sweat drugs, and other medications that appear on the and hair. organizations prohibited substances lists. Forensic toxicologists in this field use many of the same high A related subset of workplace testing is for parole performance analytical methods to detect current and probation both at the state and federal levels. and historical use of banned substances, including This testing is often conducted with methods similar stimulants, anabolic steroids, and diuretics. This type to workplace samples but is applicable to the of testing occurs in commercial and public accredited criminal system in the management of parolees. laboratories around the world, though there is also Outside of the military, almost all of this testing testing of high‐school, college and other athletes occurs in commercial laboratories. that occurs in private laboratories. Promoting Scientific Excellence Forensic Workplace Drug Testing: and Professional Standards in Use of drugs by people in the workplace has Forensic Toxicology significant safety and economic consequences. Consequently, in the United States, workers in safety In 2009, the FTC established a scientific working sensitive positions are prohibited from using rec‐ group in forensic toxicology (SWGTOX) to organize reational drugs or taking certain medications without efforts to advance and standardize the practice of a prescription. Enforcing these standards requires forensic toxicology in US laboratories. The activities pre‐employment, random, and for‐cause drug of SWGTOX are discussed below. The FTC received testing, such as following an accident or a trans‐ funding support from the National Institute of justice portation collision. Members of the US military, (NIJ) to launch SWGTOX which had its inaugural employees working for the Federal Government, or workgroup meetings in February 2009. their contractors are also required to comply with SOFT and the AAFS Toxicology Section developed a these standards set forth in the Drug‐Free
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