Toxicology in forensics is a branch of chemistry that focuses on the study of toxins and their applications in the field. Toxicologists can examine tissue and fluid samples from the human body for toxins, as well as animals and the natural environment for toxins. They could be involved in a variety of criminal cases, ranging from suspected racehorse poisoning to chemical pollution investigations.
Forensic toxicologists, like other chemists, can analyze samples to see what they contain using a variety of tools. Because plants and animals metabolize toxins when they are ingested, it is unusual to find a toxin in its original form in the body, forensic toxicology adds another layer of complexity. Because the chemical may be long gone, forensic toxicologists sometimes look for traces that indicate that it was once present in the body rather than trying to identify the chemical itself.
For thousands of years, humans have been studying poisons and their effects, with many of the same concerns as modern forensic toxicology, such as how toxins are made, what they do to the body, and how the body tries to metabolize or eliminate them. This knowledge can aid analysts in their search for specific toxins.
A forensic toxicologist looks for unusual chemicals or materials in the body during toxicology screenings, which are routinely performed on deceased people. A toxicology screen may occasionally reveal an unusual spike of a substance that isn’t necessarily toxic but may reveal information about the crime. Examining animal remains, as well as evidence found at a crime scene that could indicate the presence of toxins, is part of forensic toxicology. People may, for example, discover dead plants near a waterway and request that a forensic toxicologist examine the plants and the surrounding water to see if there are toxins in the water that are causing the plants to die.
To become a forensic toxicologist, one must first train as a forensic chemist and then specialize in toxins during their studies. Some colleges specialize in forensic toxicology and offer forensic toxicology degrees to their students. To work as a forensic chemist or toxicologist, you’ll typically need a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, as well as forensic training and experience. Graduates may work under the supervision of someone with more experience at first to learn the nature of their work before being allowed to work on assigned tasks independently.