Forensic Toxicology Flashcards

In postmortem toxicology, which phenomenon describes the redistribution of drugs from concentrated tissues (liver, lung) into blood after death?

Answer: Postmortem redistribution (PMR)

Postmortem redistribution (PMR) occurs when drugs diffuse from high-concentration organs into adjacent blood vessels after death, elevating postmortem blood concentrations.

Which matrix is preferred for documenting historical drug exposure over weeks to months in forensic investigations?

Answer: Hair

Hair provides a chronological record of drug incorporation, with approximately 1 cm of hair growth representing one month of exposure history.

Chain of custody in forensic toxicology is essential primarily to:

Answer: Document sample handling to preserve legal admissibility of results

Chain of custody documentation tracks every person who handles a forensic specimen, ensuring results are legally defensible and specimens have not been tampered with.

Vitreous humor is a preferred postmortem specimen for ethanol analysis because it:

Answer: Is less subject to postmortem ethanol production by microorganisms

Vitreous humor is an isolated compartment relatively protected from bacterial contamination and postmortem fermentation, giving more reliable postmortem ethanol results.

Which confirmatory analytical technique is considered the 'gold standard' for forensic drug identification?

Answer: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

GC-MS provides both chromatographic retention time and a mass spectrum that serves as a molecular fingerprint, making it the forensic gold standard for definitive drug identification.

In driving under the influence (DUI) cases, the per se legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for non-commercial drivers in all US states is:

Answer: 0.08 g/dL

All US states have adopted 0.08 g/dL (80 mg/dL) as the per se legal BAC limit for non-commercial adult drivers following federal highway funding incentives.