Forensic Toxicology

Question 1

What is Toxicology

Answer 1

study of adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms, organ systems, individual organs, tissue and cells.

study of symptoms, mechanisms, treatments and detection of poisoning.

Question 2

what are the toxic compound groups

Answer 2

• Gases
• Volatile organic compounds
• Drugs
• Metals
• Pesticides and persistent organic pollutants
• Anions

Question 3

who was the founder of toxicology?

Answer 3

Paracelsus was the founder of toxicology.

Question 4

Why is dose important?

Answer 4

Sensitive and selective methods are necessary to establish toxic doses

Question 5

Dose (e.g. mg/kg body weight)

Answer 5

defines as the amount of a substance added at a certain time. perceive as the total amount of a poison administered.

Question 6

dose rate (e.g. mg/kg body weight a day)

Answer 6

Amount of a substance administered to an organism during a defined time span

Question 7

exposure dose

Answer 7

does in soil water air food

Question 8

ingested dose

Answer 8

dose or dose rate

Question 9

absorbed dose

Answer 9

amount in body e.g in blood

Question 10

dose in tissue

Answer 10

dose at tissue level e.g liver

Question 11

biologically effective dose

Answer 11

concentration of compound at target molecule

Question 12

what are the applied toxicology

Answer 12

• Forensic toxicology
• Occupation – risk at work
• Clinical- toxic induced diseases
• Developmental- induced malformations in embryos or foetuses
• environmental

Question 13

descriptive toxicology

Answer 13

identify and describe the toxicological profilings (carcinogenic, mutagenic, neurotoxic)

Question 14

Mechanistic toxicology

Answer 14

identify and describe how the toxic compounds exert their toxic effects

Question 15

regulatory toxicology

Answer 15

risk assessment and risk management, determination of risk based on descriptive and mechanistic toxicology to develop safety regulations

Question 16

what is forensic toxicology

Answer 16

detection and measurement of xenobiotics in biological or other specimens

Question 17

forensic toxicology

Answer 17

• when toxicological and analytical chemical techniques and methods are applied in legal context

main purpose- to verify a crime could be behind an acute/chronic poisoning

(murder by poison, illegal drugs at workplace, doping, alcohol, chemical spills)

Question 18

clinical toxicology

Answer 18

• when toxicological and analytical chemical techniques and methods are applied to identify compound responsible for an acute/chronic poisoning
  main purpose to keep a poisoned person alive

(suicide, attempted suicide, unintended poisoning, accidental acute/chronic poisoning)

Question 19

Accidental poisonings

Answer 19

• results from an accident, error, carelessness or an unexpected situation in the working environment
• house accidents
• due to medical or paramedical treatment ( e.g. contaminant)

Question 20

experimental poisonings

Answer 20

self medication or experimentation

Question 21

intentional poisoning

Answer 21

intoxicate on purpose

Question 22

strychnine

Answer 22

• from strychnos nuxvomica tree
• painful death from suffocation
• symptoms 10-20 mins after
• used as athletic performance enhancer and recreational stimulant in the late 19th century and early 20th century