Role and objectives of forensic pharmacotoxicology laboratories.; [Ruolo e finalità dei laboratori di farmacotossicologia forense]

The forensic toxicology laboratories produce analytical data on toxic or pharmacological compounds for forensic or administrative aims at the request of public offices, private companies or, less frequently, individuals. Although this definition includes a wide range of applications, the common aspect is to identify and measure analytes in biological samples, collected from a living or deceased person, or in non-biological samples. In forensic toxicology, the detection of xenobiotics in cases of driving under the influence of drugs is the most common investigation. Less frequently, the forensic toxicology laboratory deals with quantitative analysis of drugs in non-biological material. The toxicological investigations of cadaveric specimens are finalized to the detection of toxics or legal and illegal substances in case of fatal intoxication/poisoning or in case of traffic accidents, evaluating if these xenobiotics are the determinant or contributory factors in the cause and manner of death. In this field, where the consequences of an analytical error or misinterpretation of the data can have direct legal and social implications for the person involved in the investigation, the result of toxicological analysis must be particularly characterized by accuracy and reliability. Standards of quality must be applied and scientific and technological skills are mandatory. If not, professionals involved in this activity may incur in liability or criminal prosecution. © 2017 Biomedia. All rights reserved.