What is Toxicology?
Toxicology is the study of drugs and/or chemicals in the human body.
Forensic toxicologists analyze how chemicals can affect the body. Some substances they search for include drugs, alcohol, toxins, metals, gases, and many other possibly-fatal chemicals.
Types of Samples Used in Toxicology
To determine whether an individual was under the influence of alcohol/drugs, toxicologists use mainly blood samples and, in some cases, urine samples.
In other cases, toxicologists can use the liver, brain, or spleen to indicate possible drug or toxin digestion. Additionally, lung tissue can be used to investigate cases of potential inhaling of fatal substances such as carbon monoxide.
Analysis of Drugs
Commonly, toxicologists perform liquid-liquid extractions to assess various drug samples. This process uses water solvents to extract analytes from water-based solutions.
Another technique toxicologists use to analyze drug samples is solid-phase extraction (also known as SPE) in which compounds, suspended in liquid, are extracted based on their physical and/or chemical properties.