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TOXICOLOGY

المؤلف:  David L. Nelson، Michael M. Cox

المصدر:  Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry

الجزء والصفحة:  p175-176

2026-07-13

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TOXICOLOGY

Another routine examination requested by pathologists in medico-legal autopsies is a broad-based screen test, called a toxicology screen, or “tox screen” for short. These tests help the forensic toxicologist determine the absence or presence of drugs and their metabolites, chemicals such as ethanol and other volatile substances, car bon monoxide and other gases, metals and other toxic chemicals in human fluids and tissues. The results help the toxicologist and the pathologist evaluate the role of any drugs or chemicals as a determinant or contributory factor in the cause and manner of death. The common perception is that drug overdoses are predominantly illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines, and occur in a limited societal group. In reality, the problem now is much broader and increasingly involves legal drugs (or sometimes illegally manufactured copies of legal drugs, or counterfeits). Furthermore, the problem is complicated by an increasingly complex mixture of legal and illicit drugs, requiring not a tox screen but a complete toxicological testing.