Forensic Toxicologists Investigate the Behavioral Effects of Drugs & Alcohol
Even if it appears that a toxic exposure has taken place, the nature, duration, and intensity of exposure to that particular drug or toxin physically affect people in different but distinct ways. Forensic toxicologists must investigate such claims with careful attention to detail and history gathering pertinent to the drug in question – or other agents potentially overlooked.
The behavioral effects of drugs and alcohol on behavior are directly related to its level in the blood. Likewise, duration and intensity of effects of drugs will vary across substances and dosages. The interaction between chemicals and the body can have dramatic effects on a person’s observed behavior. In cases of negligence, accident, and even intentional torts, understanding these behavioral effects may be pivotal to the outcome of the inquiry.
The Forensic Panel Offers Peer Reviewed Toxicology Assessments
A forensic toxicologist is responsible for determining the amount of the chemical ingested and its relationship to the general effects felt on the individual. The forensic toxicologist, moreover, reviews an individual’s unique characteristics and drug sensitivities to enhance the confidence of his opinion.
The Forensic Panel’s forensic toxicologists have substantial experience in untangling a person’s physical and psychological reactions and how they relate to possible drug ingestion or toxin exposure.
Assessment of such behavioral effects, especially when determining drug interactions when a person has ingested multiple drugs and in uncertain dosage, may test the bounds of scientific certainty. The Forensic Panel’s peer review ensures that the determinations made reflect the current understanding of the forensic toxicology. This oversight safeguards the objectivity of The Forensic Panel’s findings and the scientific integrity of such oft-nuanced determinations of the behavioral effects of drugs or alcohol on an individual.