unit 12 toxicology

Question 1

1) What are some factors affecting the alcohol absorption rate?

Answer 1

• total time taken for consumption
  > longer the time, lower the peak
• alcohol content of the beverage
  > more carbohydrates, slower
• amount of consumption
• stomach contents
• weight

Question 2

What are the two mechanisms of elimination of alcohol in human body? Where does each take place in?

Answer 2

> oxidation
– takes place almost entirely in the liver
– 95‑98% of the alcohol consumed gets oxidized into CO2 and HO
excretion
– elimination in an unchanged state
– breath, urine and perspiration
-kidneys

Question 3

3) What are the two ways of measuring the quantity of alcohol present in the blood system?

Answer 3

1) blood analysis
> costly and time consuming
> requires a certified medical personnel
2) breath analysis
> rapid and accurate
> easily administered by Law Enforcement personnel

Question 4

partition ratio

Answer 4

(breath‑to‑blood ratio) of alcohol is 2100:1

Question 5

5) Name two instruments that are used to measure the blood alcohol content.

Answer 5

1. Headspace Gas Chromatography
   measures unit of alcohol per unit of blood
2. Gas Chromatograph
   > specific compounds will come out at specific time frame
   > peak heights relative to concentration

Question 6

What are some quality standards/precautions in breath testing?

Answer 6

measures the BAC by measuring its concentration in alveolar breath (gases from the lungs)

Question 7

what is the nationally accepted legal measure for drunk driving?

Answer 7

0.08
0.04 for commercial drivers

Question 8

7) Describe the Implied Consent Law.

Answer 8

-A licensed driver has given his implied consent to a field
sobriety test and/or a Breathalyzer/blood test to
determine the BAC.
> Generally upheld in courts despite the 4th amendment
(reasonable search and seizure) and the 5th amendment
(right against self‑incrimination) because driving is
considered a privilege rather than a right.

Question 9

top 3 most abused drugs in the US?

Answer 9

marijuana, alcohol, opioids

Question 10

what are the three steps of toxicological analysis?

Answer 10

detection, isolation, identification

Question 11

what is not a deciding factor in penalties under the controlled substance act?

Answer 11

street value of drug
(YES- weight, concentration, and type of drug)

Question 12

what specific drug was restricted under its precursor control act?

Answer 12

methamphetamines

Question 13

the presumptive screening test performed on a suspected cocaine sample is…

Answer 13

cobalt thiocyanate test

Question 14

what pair categorizes the types of poisonings?

Answer 14

acute and chronic

Question 15

which two are inheritance powders?

Answer 15

arsenic and cyanide

Question 16

Describe the Reinsch Test.

Answer 16

To screen for the presence of heavy metals

Question 17

8) What is the primary purpose of testing human hairs for the presence of drugs?

Answer 17

Hair analysis is used to establish long-term drug abuse or poisoning.

Question 18

10) Who is known as the “Father of Toxicology” for what achievement?

Answer 18

Mathieu Orfilla (Father of Toxicology) devised a method
to detect arsenic

Question 19

11) Compare and contrast acute and chronic poisoning.

Answer 19

• acute poisoning
  > caused by a high dose over a short period
  – ex. cyanide
• chronic poisoning
  > caused by lower dose over long period
  – ex. mercury, lead

Question 20

14) How was Georgi Markov murdered?

Answer 20

He was poisoned by ricin (poison found in castor beans- 36-72 hours till death after taking this poison)

Question 21

List the differences between cocaine and “crack” cocaine.

Answer 21

1) Cocaine Hydrochloride
> white powder form
> water soluble
> typically snorted or injected
2) Crack Cocaine
> free‑base form combined with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
> insoluble in water
> typically smoked
> potent to lung and liver

Question 22

16) What type of facility are drugs such as methamphetamine and PCP manufactured in?

Answer 22

Clandestine Lab

Question 23

17) What are the two (2) common natural hallucinogens?

Answer 23

– Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
– Peyote (cactus)
– Psilocybin (mushroom)

Question 24

List the factors affecting the Drug Schedule.

Answer 24

– potential for abuse
– potential for physical & psychological dependence
– medical value

Question 25

Describe the Methamphetamine Precursor Control Act of 2005.

Answer 25

restricted the sale of ingredients for methamphetamines
-daily sales limits
– 30‑day purchase limits
– often sold behind the counter or locked away
– purchases reported to Attorney General

Question 26

20) How do you visually/microscopically identify a marijuana plant/leaf?

Answer 26

Microscopic analysis: presumptive test for marijuana with the presence of
cystolithic hairs (or “ Bear Claws “)
– glandular hairs
– non‑glandular hairs

Question 27

What are the screening/presumptive tests performed on a suspected marijuana sample?

Answer 27

Weight test
Dugenois levine test
Microscopic analysis
FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy)
Gas chromatography- mass spectrometry

Question 28

What are the confirmatory tests performed on a suspected marijuana sample?

Answer 28

FTIR
gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

Question 29

What are the three (3) screening tests that can be performed for the presence of crack cocaine?

Answer 29

Cobalt thiocyanate test
Microcrystalline
UV spectroscopy
Gas chromatography