Advances in Forensic Medicine: Forensic Toxicology

Abstract

Alternative options are currently being used to the traditional ones, blood and urine, so that drug detection in workers is occasionally performed in hair; judicial investigations are performed on hair, saliva and sweat. Cases which affect child custody as well as those related to marital crises (separation and divorce) use toxicology analysis of hair. Control of situations of conditional liberty and application of security measures benefit from control of drug abuse using hair analysis. Determination of drugs is used in different countries.

The alternative to using samples which are not traditional, hair, saliva and sweat, is used in the work scope to detect the presence of drugs and metabolites in workers and psychoactive elements in oral fluid (saliva) in drivers to determine their influence.

Structure of the hair is studied, its appendages, stages of growth and the parameters that influence in the transport of drugs by biomembranes and the relation between drug dosis and concentrations in hair.

Analyses are performed in the Toxicology Laboratory of the Forensic Anatomical Institute of samples from the Provincial Audience of Madrid as well for control of consumption of drugs of abuse and psychopharmacos in individuals under treatment for drug abuse for security measures to be applied.