What is forensic toxicology, and why is it so important?
Forensic toxicology is essential to our lives, but many do not even know what it is. Forensic toxicology is the study of biological samples for both toxins and drugs to support decisions made by the legal system (1). Alone, toxicology is the use of drug prevalence data to understand the impacts of drugs on a community, while forensic toxicology determines the role of drugs in a legal case, devises a plan to prevent a drug crisis, or dictates punishment for drug-involved cases (2, 3).
This study has four main applications: postmortem, human performance, doping control, and forensic workplace testing (2). Postmortem toxicology assists in death investigations. The toxicologist works with a medical examiner or coroner to determine if volatile substances, such as ethanol, carbon monoxide, and other gasses or metals, played a role in the death (4). Similar to other types of toxicology, toxic materials are detected through human fluids and tissues (2). This usage can help aid a legal investigation or provide essential information to a medical case. The second common use of forensic toxicology is human performance testing. Human performance forensic toxicology is used to determine the legal consequences of drug-induced human behavior. For example, this type of toxicology helps the court to decide how someone convicted of vehicular assault and impaired driving should be prosecuted based on the concentration of drugs involved in the case. (2). The third common use is doping control. Most commonly used in sports, doping control tests biological specimens to detect stimulants, anabolic steroids, and more (2). The final common use of forensic toxicology is workplace drug testing. Through urine samples, toxicology labs can detect previous and current drug abuse; today, workplace drug testing is the most common use of forensic toxicology. Workplace testing helps to ensure that the workplace remains safe and free of dangerous accidents (2, 4).
Forensic toxicology uses analytical chemistry, such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, to collect drug prevalence data. This test reveals information about patterns and the identification of new trends, new drugs, and effective forms of treatment and intervention (3, 4). Forensic toxicology is at the intersection of public health and criminal justice. Toxicologists have previously analyzed urine and oral samples to follow the increase in opioid-related overdoses (3). With the rise of fentanyl and synthetic opioids, toxicologists need to find a new way to test for them, as they often go undetected in routine lab scans. Researchers have found that high-resolution mass spectrometry may be the solution (5). High-resolution mass spectroscopy determines whether a sample is present by selecting the atomic masses of organic and inorganic molecules (6). A sample becomes ionized while passing through a spectrometer, and then the mass is analyzed to determine whether a substance is present in the sample (6). Because there is a shorter window to detect chemicals in human fluids, this new way of using forensic toxicology has been tested on hair samples (3, 5). However, toxicologists are working to find more accurate tests to detect synthetic opioids, as lighter hair colors yielded a higher rate of testing positive than darker hair did (3).
The Mass Spectrometry tool is used in forensic science and forensic toxicology.
https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/Mass-Spectrometry-as-a-Tool-in-Forensic-Science.aspx
Forensic toxicology is a vital form of science, as it helps to determine causes of death, the instances of drug use in a community, sentences for drug-related crimes, and the most effective treatments. Without forensic toxicology, drug use would be extremely difficult to control, making it essential to aid in global health and well-being.
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Bibliography:
- Forensic Toxicology. (2021). National Institute of Justice. Retrieved from https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/forensics/forensic-toxicology#:~:text=Forensic%20toxicology%20is%20the%20analysis,is%20above%20a%20harmful%20level
- Olson, B. (2025). What is Forensic Toxicology? Soft-Tox.org. https://www.soft-tox.org/what-is-forensic-tox
- Detecting Fentanyl Use Through Mandatory Drug Testing. (2024). Forensicmag.com. https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/615318-Detecting-Fentanyl-Use-Through-Mandatory-Drug-Testing/
- Bobst, S. (2020). Forensic toxicology. Elsevier EBooks, 387–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-813724-6.00035-9
- Concheiro, M., Chesser, R., Pardi, J., & Cooper, G. (2018). Postmortem Toxicology of New Synthetic Opioids. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.01210
- Measurlabs. (2025). High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry | HRMS Analysis | Measurlabs. Measurlabs.com. https://measurlabs.com/methods/high-resolution-mass-spectrometry-hrms/#:~:text=HRMS%20is%20an%20analytical%20technique,the%20fundamental%20workings%20are%20similar.