Heroin Overdose: Is Forensic Toxicology For You?

What Are Forensic Toxicologists?

Forensic toxicology is the study of toxins as they relate to legal or criminal investigations, and forensic toxicologists are chemists who examine bodily fluids and tissue samples to determine what toxic substances they may contain and what physiological effects they may have had on the person or animal that ingested them.

Forensic toxicologists work in crime labs that are often – but not always — associated with municipal police departments. They don’t usually attend crime scenes but instead take report from the officers who were at the scene before beginning a forensic examination of the evidence. After the analysis is done, they submit a report, explaining in great detail how they arrived at their conclusions. Their report may be cited in trials and they may be called upon to defend their conclusions with forensic witness testimony.

In most cases, forensic toxicologists are not police officers but civilians, working closely with other crime scene investigators as part of a team. Forensic toxicologists should not be confused with forensic pathologists who must be medical doctors.

Forensic Toxicology Labs

Ideally, a forensic toxicology laboratory should be a state-of-the-art facility with the very latest equipment and supplies, as well as strict protocols for determining results. In practice this may not be the case, especially in these days of government budgetary shortfalls.

Forensic laboratories have two main areas of expertise. Forensic biology involves forensic examination of victims and suspects through the analysis of biological substances such as DNA, hair and bodily fluids. Forensic biology can also involve the analysis of dead animals, as with several famous cases involving racehorses that had been poisoned. In some cases, it is the lack of a particular chemical that provides the key to the crime: In a death related to heroin overdose, for example, you would not expect to find heroin: the drug is immediately metabolized into a different substance.

Forensic chemistry, on the other hand, is the forensic examination of non-biological substances found at a crime scene such as paint, cosmetics and even soil. It’s a more expansive field than forensic biology, simply because there are more substances to analyze.

How To Become a Forensic Toxicologist

Human beings have been fascinated by poisons and their effects since before the dawn of history. Many of these same issues inform their modern day counterparts in the forensics lab.

Only a handful of colleges offer specific degrees in forensic toxicology. In most cases, an individual wishing to pursue this career goal will earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and then receive most of his or her specialized training on the job. There are three licensing bodies responsible for awarding professional certifications in this filed: the American Board of Toxicology, the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and the American Board of Forensic Toxicology.

Recent heroin overdose calls a concern – ABC15 with Stephanie Siete, Director of Community Outreach for Community Bridges and Mesa Fire Department’s Terence Mason discussing awareness campaign of recent heroin overdoses and the impact on our community

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