Forensic Toxicology Flashcards
6 cards from real ABT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Forensic Toxicology flashcards as text
Fentanyl analogs such as carfentanil are classified as Schedule I substances and are most commonly detected in forensic cases involving:
Answer: Opioid overdose deaths with no prescribed opioid use
Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogs (including carfentanil) are frequently found in counterfeit pills or adulterated heroin and are a leading cause of opioid overdose deaths.
Which principle explains why oral fluid (saliva) drug testing reflects recent drug use more accurately than urine?
Answer: Oral fluid primarily contains parent drug reflecting recent blood levels
Oral fluid primarily contains the parent drug in equilibrium with plasma, reflecting recent drug use (hours), whereas urine contains metabolites with a longer but more delayed detection window.
A critical difference between therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and forensic toxicology is that forensic toxicology:
Answer: Must maintain legally defensible chain of custody and documentation
Forensic toxicology requires rigorous chain of custody, documentation, and legal defensibility of results because findings may be used as evidence in criminal, civil, or regulatory proceedings.
Which compound is measured in blood as a biomarker for chronic heavy alcohol use and has a detection window of approximately 2–4 weeks?
Answer: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth)
Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a direct ethanol metabolite formed in red blood cell membranes that provides a 2–4 week window for detecting heavy alcohol consumption with high specificity.
In forensic death investigations, which toxicological finding is most useful for estimating postmortem interval (PMI)?
Answer: Vitreous potassium levels
Vitreous potassium levels rise predictably after death due to cell lysis, and regression equations using vitreous potassium can estimate time since death.
Which analytical technique is most commonly used in modern forensic toxicology laboratories for multi-drug screening in a single run?
Answer: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)
LC-MS/MS can simultaneously identify and quantify hundreds of drugs and metabolites in a single analytical run with high sensitivity and specificity, making it the modern forensic laboratory standard.