SOFT 2004 Meeting Abstracts - Society of Forensic Toxicologists

AS
SURVEY ON FORENSIC TOXICOLOGICAL ANALYTICAL LABORATORIES IN BRAZIL
E.F. Mendes, V.F. Barbosa, N.F.G. Pereira, and A.M. Chasin*, REBLAS/ANVISA I Brazil; Forensic
Toxicology Lab, Medical Legal Institute- SP and College ofPhannacy Oswaldo Cruz, Sao Paulo- Brazil
Forensic Toxicology in Brazil is carried out, principally, by public laboratories, except for Doping and
Workplace Drug Testing that are done in private laboratories. Compared to other countries, there are neither
established guidelines to orient these analyses nor a system of certification to orient Toxicological Analyses,
in general, and specifically for forensic purposes.
This paper had as objectives the following: to identify the laboratories that work with or have the potential to
carry out tests pertaining to Forensic Toxicology and the respective assays, as required by the current public
health legislation, as well as the methodologies used and the Quality Systems followed by this labs; to
evaluate, beforehand, the technical capacity of these laboratories and what they must do in order to be
qualified by the Brazilian Network of Laboratories in Public Health REBLAS/ANVISA (the Brazilian
Agency for Health and Sanitary Safety Vigilance and Management).
A survey was prepared of several assays carried out by the labs and were divided in three major groups:
Group I - Analysis of Controlled Substances and Abusive Drugs in materials seized by the Police (in natura),
with 120 assays; Group II - Presumptive Tests and Confinnation of Controlled Substances and Abusive
Drugs in Biological Matrices in vivo, with 1000 assays; Group III Presumptive Tests and Confirmation of
Controlled Substances and Abusive Drugs in Biological Matrices post mortem, with 906 assays. Also
included were a "Survey on Quality Systems" and a "Registration Card".
The surveys were prepared with the aim of dividing substances up into categories and respective subcategories,
with the most representative substance tests being included. The presumptive and the confinnation
tests were included for all groups. Fifteen labpratories, representing all Brazilian geographic regions, took part
in the research. The regions of South and Southeast Brazil were the most represented, each one with six
participating laboratories, although the regions of North, Northeast and Middle-East Brazil also participated,
with only one laboratory, however, presenting analyses of Group I. Of the 15 laboratories taking part in the
research, only 9 of them answered to the Group I survey; 3 answered to both Group I and Group II; 2
laboratories answered only to Group II and only 1 laboratory, located in Southeast Brazil, declared that they
had completely carried out the Group III survey.
Most of the laboratories taking part (80%) carried out the Group I assays- Analysis of Control led Substances
and Abusive Drugs. Group II Presumptive Tests and Confirmation of Controlled Substances and Abusive
. Drugs in Biological Matrices in vivo was carried out by 33% of the institutions and Group III - Presumptive
Test and Confirmation of Controlled Substances and Abusive Drugs in Biological Matrices post mortem was
carried out by only one laboratory (6.6% of the laboratories studied). It was concluded that 26% of the
laboratories taking part in the research still do not follow any of the quality parameters. The infonnation from
the Survey will serve as a basis for preparing policies, establishing and managing Forensic Toxicological
Laboratories in Brazil.
Keywords: Brazil, Forensic Laboratories, Survey
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