Castor and Croton are categorized as vegetable poisons commonly found in nature. In fact, castor is the world’s most common poison. Both poisons are easily available to human beings, therefore accidental and suicidal poisoning is very common.
Capsicum and Calotropis are the two irritant vegetable poisons that are commonly found in almost every corner of the globe. They are very familiar to human beings and have been in their utility for ages, even after knowing their poisonous properties.
The person who studies toxicology along with its medicolegal aspects is known as a Forensic Toxicologist. Forensic toxicologists are treated as experts in the court where they represent their opinion based on the analytical results.
The scientists of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new technique to detect and analyze the fentanyl in human blood and urine samples, which will be benefiting the fields of medicine as well as forensic chemistry and toxicology.
The scientists at Australia’s first fixed pill-testing site CanTEST discovered a new recreational drug dubbed ‘CanKet’ similar to ketamine but with unknown side effects. Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic typically snorted or injected to provide a high, with common side effects including nausea, vomiting, hallucination, high blood pressure, and confusion. The dissociative was first detected in mid-August, after an individual brought a small bag of white crystals and powder to a team of researchers at Australia’s first government-backed pill and drug testing service, CanTEST, in the capital Canberra. The client had originally thought the substance was ketamine but said the effects “were very different to what they expected.” They asked the staff at the clinic to take a closer look. These initial tests quickly ruled out the possibility of ketamine—and subsequent lab tests revealed that the white powder was, in fact, a structurally similar substance that had been synthesized, somewhere, […]
Methamphetamine is a psychoactive drug that has stimulating effects on the central nervous system. It is used as a recreational drug and sometimes as a second-line treatment for obesity or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is taken through injections or by smoking. However, it is classified as a class A drug in the United Kingdom, and its recreational use is criminalized in many countries throughout the world, including India. Although it is an illegal drug, people still deal with it. However, one barrier for law enforcement in tackling methamphetamine is the difficulty in detecting low concentrations of methamphetamine residues on surfaces, stymieing any forensic investigation. Recently research conducted with the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), New Zealand, analyses the retention of methamphetamine residues on different surfaces. The study was done in New Zealand, where methamphetamine is an illegal drug. The study notes that many concerns have been […]
Agrochemical poisons are the chemical substances used in agriculture to get rid of the various pests that harm the crops. These are now called pesticides. “Pesticides” are named because of their nature to kill various pests (insects, fungus, rodents, weeds, etc.) that are harmful for the crops. It is an umbrella term that includes the following terms: Insecticides– The chemicals which kill all the insects that cause harm to the crops. Example- paraquat, atrazine, simazine, nitrofen, etc. Herbicides– They are also called weedicides as they kill or prevent the growth of harmful weeds in the crop field. Rodenticides– The chemicals which kill the rodents (rats, rabbits) that destroy the crops. Example- aluminium and zinc phosphide, alpha-naphthyl-thiourea, cholecalciferol, etc. Fungicides– There are various fungi organisms that are destructive to the crops. To kill them fungicides are sprayed on the crops. Example- thiocarbamates, captafol, vitavax, benzimidazole, etc. Fumigants– These are the […]
Animal poisons are considered as the organic irritant poisons. A number of animals present in nature are poisonous which possess toxic substances in them for their self defense from the predators. The poisons present in such animals is a result of natural selection for their survival. There are certain animal species which possess the toxin named ‘venom’. The animal poison and venom are both toxic in nature and rich source of proteins, neurotransmitters, peptides, etc. among other organic compounds. Both are considered as zootoxins and can induce major damages to the prey’s/predator’s body. This is one of the mechanisms to kill their prey or predators. Animal Poison & Venom Animal poison and venom though have similar effects of killing but still are different because of their toxin delivery methods. Animal poisons are produced by the specialized cells or tissues of the animals which cause toxicity in the predators when they […]
Plant poisons are the toxic substances possessed by the plants and known as phytotoxins and the study of poisoning by plants is called phytotoxicology. Most of the plant poisons are organic irritant poisons and are considered as vegetable poisons. However, there are certain species of toxic plants which act as neurotoxic, spinal, and cardiac poisons. The toxins of plants are usually biologically active substances known as alkaloids, which are characterized by the presence of nitrogen and their ability to combine with acids to form salts. It has been estimated that about 10 percent of the plant species contain some type of alkaloid. Only a few of the 5,000 alkaloids characterized thus far do not produce any biological activity; most cause a strong physiological reaction when administered to an animal or human being. Apart from the alkaloids there are certain other biomolecules which are responsible for the toxicity of the plant. […]
Abrus precatorius is an angiospermic plant grown all over India. It is commonly known as jequirity bean, rosary pea, crab’s eye or Indian liquorice. In hindi it is famous as gunchi or ratti. Scientific classification of Abrus Precatorious Kingdom- Plantae Division- Angiosperm Class- Rosids Order- Fabales Family- Fabaceae Genus- Abrus Species- precatorius Abrus precatorius is a wild plant that grows best in dry regions at low elevations. It is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. Flowers are small and pale violet in colour with a short stalk, arranged in clusters. The ovary has a marginal placentation. The fruit, which is a pod, is flat, oblong and truncate shaped with a sharp deflexed beak is about 3 to 4.5 cm long, 1.2 cm wide, and silky-textured. Each fruit contains 3-5 seeds which are about 0.85 cm long and 0.65 cm broad that weighs around 120mg. The […]
Date rape drugs are the drugs which when administered by a person renders that person vulnerable to drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), most common being rape. DFSA refers to the offences in which the victims are subjected to non-consensual acts while they are incapacitated or unconscious due to the effects of the drugs and are therefore prevented from resisting and/or are unable to consent. The statistics from all over the word shows that DFSA is becoming a prevalent crime. In India it has been found that about 70 percent of sexual assaults reported are caused due to the intoxication of drugs to the accused or victim or both. They are also referred to as ‘predator drugs’, as they are not administered by the person itself usually, they are accustomed by the attackers to the victims. The person is not attacked on the date, as the name suggests, but can be […]
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid similar to morphine and it produces analgesia to a greater extent i.e. 50-100 times more than morphine. A dose of only 100 micrograms can produce equivalent analgesia to approximately 10 milligrams of morphine. It is a phenylpiperidine derivative which is structurally similar to pethidine and has become a common drug of abuse and an adulterant in illicit drugs because of its high potency. Fentanyl is popular among the people with the street names such as ‘apace’, ‘china girl’, ‘china white’, ‘china town’, ‘dance fever’, etc. Fentanyl is available in a water soluble, white crystalline powder that requires no preservative. The molecular formula for fentanyl is C₂₂H₂₈N₂O and molecular mass is 336.471g/mol. N-(1-(2-phenethyl)-4-piperidinyl-N-phenyl propanamide Derivatives of fentanyl include Alfentanil, Sufentanil, Remifentanil, and Carfentanil. Uses of Fentanyl Fentanyl is administered intravenously (IV), intramuscularly(IM), transdermally as skin patches, intranasally in the form of a volatile nasal spray […]
Amphetamine is a psychoactive drug stimulating the central nervous system and produces a false sense of euphoria which is followed by depression. It affects the chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. It also acts as a cardiovascular stimulant. Amphetamines is a psychoactive drug stimulating the central nervous system and produces a false sense of euphoria which is followed by depression. It affects the chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. It also acts as a cardiovascular stimulant. They are popular among people under the names ’pep pills’, ‘ups’ and ‘speed’. Amphetamines are available in varied forms from a powder/tablet to crystals and capsules. The color of the powder can range from white to brown, sometimes it may have traces of grey or pink. It has a strong smell and bitter taste. It can be administered orally, by […]
Heroin is a potent analgesic drug with a strong euphoric effect. It is the phenanthrene derivative of the somniferous plant Papaver somniferum (poppy plant). Heroin is a semisynthetic opioid derived from the acetylation of morphine and called diacetylmorphine or diamorphine. It is 2-3 times more potent than morphine. Among all the addictive drugs it is the most dangerous. It is sold illegally under the names- ‘smack’, ‘brown sugar’, ‘junk’ and ‘dope’. The place where heroin activities are conducted is generally known as a ‘shooting gallery’. The IUPAC name for heroin is (5𝛂,6𝛂)-7,8-didehydro-4,5-epoxy-17-methylmorphinan-3,6-diol acetate. Its molecular formula is C₂₁H₂₃NO₅ and molecular weight is 369.4g/mol. Heroin is metabolised to acetylmorphine, which is then hydrolysed to morphine within 30 to 60 minutes. Therefore during chemical analysis heroin is not detected. It is available in the form of white to dark brown powder. The white heroin is soluble in water but insoluble in organic […]
Drug addiction has become the most common threat for the youth all around the world. It is engulfing them deep and destroying their lives. In today’s busy and competitive world, people are facing a lot of pressure to stay in the competition with each other. This is causing a sense of stress and depression among the people, forcing them to take the path of drugs to deal with such situations. However, some people administer drugs just for fun. A drug is a chemical substance which has physiological effects on the body when introduced into the body. The drugs at initial stage provides a feeling of pleasure and relief, but slowly-slowly it makes the people its slave by causing addiction. And finally this addiction leads them to the horrible destination of death. Any drug that creates a chemical imbalance in a person’s body or causes harmful effects can be considered dangerous […]
