JCD+Wes+Bentley+Carly


 * IMPORTANT VOCAB-DEFINITIONS:**


 * Toxicology**: The study of poisons and the identification of drugs and other substances a persona may have used for medicinal, recreational, or criminal purposes.


 * Controlled Substances**: A drug or other chemical compound whose manufacture, distribution, possession, and use is regulated by the legal system


 * Drug:** a chemical substance that affects the processes of the mind or body; a substance used in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a disease; a substance used recreationally for its effects on the mind or body, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen


 * Narcotic**: an addictive drug, such as opium, that relieves pain, alters mood and behavior, and causes sleep or feelings of mental numbness


 * Poison**: A naturally occurring or manufactured substance that can cause sever harm or death if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin


 * Toxicity**: The degree to which a substance is poisonous or can cause injury


 * Toxin**: A poisonous substance naturally produced by certain plants, animals, and bacteria that is capable of causing disease or death in humans; a subgroup of poisons.


 * Introduction to Drugs and Toxins**


 * Factors of toxicity**: the dose, the duration, the nature of the exposure, and other individual factors, such as whether the drug or toxin interacts with other substances in the body such as alcohol or prescription drugs.

//Accidentally//: Ingested or exposed, unintentional overdose or harmful combinations //Deliberately//: Suicide or exposures intended to harm or kill others
 * Toxic substances**: Classified by how people are exposed to them
 * Toxic classifications**: //Intentionally//: Drugs taken to treat an illness or relieve pain

- Though common in movies, not actually common in real life. Less than .5% of all homicides are from poisoning. Of time //Chronic poisoning//: lower does over long time periods
 * Poison in Murder**
 * Common poisons**: cyanide, arsenic, and strychnine
 * Different kinds of poisoning**: //Acute poisoning:// cause by a high dose over a short period
 * Drugs in Crime**
 * Controlled Substances**
 * Classes of controlled substances**: Hallucinogens, narcotics, stimulants, anabolic steroids, and depressants


 * Hallucinogens**: Derived from plants and affect the user’s perceptions, thinking, self-awareness, and emotions. Some are derived from plants (Marijuana and mushrooms) and some are chemically manufactured (LSD and ecstasy).[[image:2008-02-05T155526Z_01_NOOTR_RTRIDSP_2_HEALTH-DRUGS-DC.jpg]]


 * Narcotics**: Reduce pain by suppressing the central nervous system’s ability to relay pain messages to the brain. Some are illegal substances (opium) and others are abused, controlled substances (Tylenol 3)


 * Stimulants**: Increase feelings of energy and alertness while suppressing appetite. Often causes depression after the drug wears off. Includes crack and methamphetamines.[[image:crack-15.jpg]]


 * Anabolic Steroids**: Promote cell and tissue growth and division.

__**Other Organic Toxins**__
 * Depressants**: Drugs, such as benzodiazepines, that relieve anxiety and produce sleep. Many times depressants are mixed with alcohol


 * Alcohols**: All are toxic to the body. Consumption can depress the central nervous system as well.




 * Bacterial Toxins**: Botulism is the most poisonous biological substance known to humans. Acts as a neurotoxin and paralyzes the muscles. It is extremely deadly in very small amounts and causes painful spasms before death. Bacteria also can produce tetanus, which can be deadly nervous.

H**eavy Metals and Pesticides**: Pesticides primarily for controlling insects but can cause illness and death. Heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury are used many times for suicide and homicide. Other substances can be in gas form, such as hydrogen cyanide.


 * Bioterrorism Agents**: Ricin is a lethal poison to humans as a mist or powder or in a drink. Also, anthrax is a bacterium that kills humans.

Postmortem Forensic Toxicology: analyzing body fluids and organs from death cases, often used with sudden unexpected and unexplained deaths, helpful in determining whether poisoning, drug overdose or therapeutic misadventure was the cause or manner of death, of times there is a history or actual physical evidence of an overdose or poison, such as previous drug use or drug paraphernalia found at the scene of death (empty drug containers)

Testing Methods:


 * toxicologist test postmortem blood and urine samples/specimens when available
 * other fluids tested include eye fluid, stomach contents, bile
 * when bodily fluids are unavailable, organ tissue can be tested

Analytical Methods:


 * Usually combination of immunoassay and chromatographic methods to identify drugs or poisons
 * Alcohol is analyzed by gas chromatography
 * Enzymatic and colorimetric methods are used as initial screening tests on a corpse
 * Carbon Monoxide testing can be done by spectrophotometric differentiation
 * Cyanide testing done by diffusion a colorimetric or gas chromatography
 * immunoassay can be used for screening blood and urine for many different drugs/drug classes (opiates, barbiturates, cocaine)
 * Heavy metal poisons such as arsenic, mercury and lead can be analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry


 * Case Studies involving**


 * Heath Ledger:** Died January 22, 2008, overdose involving a six prescription mix-up of OxyContin, Valium, Restoril, Xanax, Unisom and Hyrdrocodone, tests show that he took the prescribed thearaputic doses or less of each but when the six were mixed it was a deadly mix, he fell asleep and never woke up, when he was first found it was suspected that he had purposely overdosed due to the amount of pill containers around him but a few weeks after the autopsy it was determined that he had taken the right amount of each, the pills were subscribed to him as painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety all controlled substances


 * Daniel Wayne Smith:** son of Anna Nicole Smith, died while visiting his mother in the maternity ward, it is said that he accidently overdosed, he took methadone, lexapro, Zoloft (which weren't prescribed to him), methadone can alter the cardiac rhythm, it is very unusual for this to happen but with the other drugs present it accelerated this reaction, he took all controlled substances that did not belong to him


 * Anna Nicole Smith:** following a six hour autopsy it was determined that she was killed by drug overdose of nine different prescription drugs, here were some non prescription drugs in the mix, chloral hydrate(sleeping pill) "tipped the balance" and was the drug that ultimately caused her death, drugs include: Chloral Hydrate, Benadryl, Clonzepam (panic attacks), Diazepam (anxiety), Nordiazepam (metabolite), Temazepam, Oxazepam (anxiety), Lorazepam (anxiety), Atropine (used to resuscitate), Topiramate (seizures, migraines, weight control), Cipro (antibiotic), Tylenol. Autopsy shows that she had a abcess and had been sick with a flu like illness, running high fever for that two days before her death, could explain the use of some drugs, when people overdose they usually take immense amounts of these drugs, the amount of each drug in her body was small


 * Chris Farley:** overdose on cocaine and morphine, no traces of alcohol were found in his blood, although his death was caused by drug overdose another component was coronary atherosclerosis which is the narrowing of the arteries supplying the heart muscle, he had a background of drug and alcohol abuse, the toxicologist reported that Prozac and an antihistimine were found in his blood but did not contribute to his death

60 regular church members.
 * Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine.**

On April 27, 2003 over a dozen members of the congregation gathered for coffee and doughnuts after the service. They quickly became violently Ill. The following Monday Walter Reid Morril, 78, died. His autopsy suggested that arsenic was the cause of his death. forensic toxicologist tested the coffee served at the church. It was positive for the same arsenic found in the system of Walter Reid Morril. After determining the presence of arsenic, arsenic antidotes were rushed to New Sweden. Everyone survived, thanks to the antidotes, except for Mr. Morril. There was no question in the minds of the police that this church had been poisoned. Police began to investigate who had access to the church, but there were no leads to who might have poisoned the congregation members. With no evidence and no motives, police became discouraged. BUT on May 2, a substitute teacher and member of the same church, Daniel Bondeson, 53, shot himself in the chest and died. Police thought that maybe there was some sort of connection. They gained a search warrant, and found a suicide note as well as the arsenic used for the poisoning. The suicide note contained important information about the poisoning. The actual note was never released to the public, but an expert later released that Bondeson merely wanted to give his fellow congregates a "bellyache", and that he felt so guilty he decided to take his own life.