Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

abies born at the local hospital recruited on a voluntary basis (Group 2).
Caffeine (n=12), nicotine (n=13), cocaine and benzoylecgonine (n=6),
morphine (n=4), and methadone (n=5) were found for Group 1 and methadone
(n=2), caffeine (n=6), and nicotine and/or cotinine (n=6) were detected in
Group 2. A GC-MS method was developed for the simultaneous detection and
quantification of four amphetamine-type stimulants and two cannabinoids in
fingernails [461]. The LOD and LOQ for each compound were lower than 0.056
and 0.2 ng/mg, respectively, and positive results were obtained from
specimens of nine suspected MA or cannabis abusers. The concentration
ranges of MA, AP, and THCCOOH were 0.10-1.41, 0.12-2.64, and 0.20 ng/mg,
respectively.
A case showing the presence of morphine in bile (21.3 µg/mL) and hair (4.8
ng/mg) but not in blood, urine, or the liver of an addict who survived in hospital
for about 144 h (6 days) was reported [462]. These data would indicate that the
enterohepatic cycle does not play any role after the last injection, and directly
confirmed that gall bladder is a storage depot for morphine.
Forensic toxicological analyses have traditionally focused on the use of blood,
body fluids, and certain organs in examinations of deaths due to intoxication.
However, in some situations, putrefaction and contamination make proper
sampling from tissues impossible, such as in exhumation cases. Postmortem
viscera and putrefied bone marrow of pesticides (endosulfan and diazion)
treated rabbits were analyzed by GC- MS. The results showed that mean
residue levels of diazinon in the putrefied bodies were 3327 mg/kg in putrefied
viscera and 1783 mg/kg in the bone marrow, while the levels were 0.26 mg/kg
(endosulfan sulfate), 0.24 mg/kg (alpha and beta isomers of endosulfan), and
0.1 mg/kg (endosulfan ether) in putrefied samples (putrefied bone marrow and
putrefied viscera); the cause of death in these cases was acute pesticide
poisoning [463].
3.5 Interpretation of toxicological results
3.5.1 Drug levels in postmortem specimens
The interpretation of the analytical results constitutes one of the most difficult
aspects in forensic toxicology; particularly for postmortem samples where the
drug concentrations obtained do not necessarily reflect the blood
concentration at the time of death, due to variations such as the sampling site
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