Common Terms
The following list of common terms is just the start of toxicology definitions. There are a number of online glossary resources, including toxicology.org and Toxipedia.
Chain of custody - ensuring evidence is secure and traceable at all times.
Chromatographic techniques - analytical procedure used for separation of compounds or drugs.
Derivitization - process of modifying original compound/drug for enhanced analytical detection.
Drug or toxin concentration - the amount of drug, metabolite or other toxin in a given volume of plasma, urine, other fluid, tissue homogenate, etc. (e.g., number of micrograms, nanograms or picograms per millilitre).
Forensic practitioner - A person, usually police officer, scientist or physician who is engaged in forensic investigations.
Hazard - the biological effects produced by substances (i.e., toxicity). Hazards pose risks only if the exposure is sufficiently high.
Histalogical - pertaining to the minute structure of animal and plant tissues as discernible with the microscope.
Homogenization - process of preparing tissue for analysis by grinding a known amount of tissue in a known amount of water.
Immunoassays - a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a substance in solutions that frequently contain a complex mixture of substances.
Medico-legal death investigation (MDLI) - A medical investigation performed by especially trained forensic medical practitioners, often in conjunction with forensic scientists, to determine the cause and manner of death.
Metabolism - the sum of the processes by which a particular substance is handled in the living body.
Metabolite - a product of metabolism.
Poison - a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism.
Post-mortem redistribution - recognized toxicological phenomenon of an increase in drug concentration after death.
Specimens - Biological samples collected from a living or deceased person that can be analysed for one or more substances relevant to the matter.
Toxic - containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation.
Toxicant - a toxic agent.
Toxicity - the biological effect of a substance. In this context, toxicity and hazard are used interchangeably.
Toxicology - a science that deals with poisons and their effect and with the problems involved (as clinical, industrial, or legal).