Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol
Toxicology—the study of the adverse effects of ______or ______on living organisms.
Types: ______— air, water, soil
______— foods, cosmetics, drugs
______, ______, ______
Forensic Toxicology
______—medical examiner or coroner
______—motor vehicle accidents (MVA)
______—drug testing
______—human and animal
______—industrial, catastrophic, terrorism
Toxic substances may:
- Be a cause of ______- Cause ______
- Contribute to ______- Explain ______
Aspects of Toxicity
1. Dosage (______)
2. The chemical or physical ______of the substance
3. The mode of ______into the body
4. Body ______and ______conditions of the victim, including age and gender
5. The ______of exposure
6. The presence of other ______in the body or in the dose
Lethal Dose
- LD50 refers to the ______of a substance that kills ______the test population, usually within four hours.
- Expressed in ______of substance per ______of body weight.
Federal Regulatory Agencies
Food and Drug Administration (____) Department of Transportation (____)
Environmental Protection Agency (____) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (_____)
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Alcohol—Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH)
- Most ______drug in America
- About ______of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related
- Toxic—affecting the ______, especially the brain
- Colorless ______, generally diluted in water
- Acts as a ______
- Alcohol appears in blood within ______of consumption; ______minutes for full absorption
- Detoxification— about _____ in the liver
- About ____ is excreted unchanged in breath, perspiration, and urine
Rate of Absorption of Alcohol
Depends on: 1. ______of alcohol consumed
2. The ______ofthe beverage
3. ______taken to consume it
4. Quantity and type of ______present in the stomach
5. ______of the consumer
BAC: Blood Alcohol Content
- Expressed as percent ______per ______of blood
- Legal limit in all states is ______percent
- Parameters influencing BAC: Body ______of beverages consumed
Alcohol ______since consumption
Field Tests
Preliminary tests—used to determine the degree of suspect’s ______and whether or not another test is justified. *These simple tests are only to give an officer just cause – called ‘______’ – toarrest the driver on suspicion of DUI. On average, these tests range from 65-80 percent reliable in establishing that a driver is in fact under the influence of drugs or alcohol. *
Standardized Field Sobriety Tests
______(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.
_____-______(WAT): comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time.
____-______(OLS): maintain balance; comprehend and execute two or more simple instructions at one time.
Blood Alcohol Content Devices
AKA Breathalyzers® - work by measuring the ______of alcohol in the ______. Because the alcohol ______in the breath is related to that in the ______, you can figure the BAC by measuring alcohol on the breath. The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is______:__. This means that ______milliliters (ml) of alveolar air will contain the same amount of alcohol as __ ml of blood.
-The legal limit in ALL states is ____.