The Toxicology Section provides two primary services:

• Alcohol and drug testing for impaired drivers.
• Medical examiner death investigation testing.

The testing process is time consuming and begins with the receipt of a biological sample. The sample is then assigned a unique DOFS case number and bar coded prior to being assigned to a toxicologist for analysis. After undergoing an initial drug screening,  positive samples are extracted by a toxicologist and analyzed using state of the art chemical instrumentation. The test data are then interpreted by the toxicologist and the results of their analysis and conclusions are entered into the DOFS Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The results and conclusions of the toxicologist are then checked independently by another toxicologist who has to concur with their findings. Once this step is complete an official report is generated and released to the officer or agency that submitted the sample.

Impaired Drivers

On average, the unit, made up of scientists and technicians, spends about 60 percent of its time working on cases involving drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI). In fact, DOFS toxicologists processed about 10,000 traffic-related cases in 2000. While both blood and urine samples are taken at the time of an arrest, the sample analyzed depends on the analysis requested and the particularities of a given case. With the help of instruments such as a headspace gas chromatograph (GC) up to 35 samples may be tested at one time to determine the presence and the exact quantity of alcohol in a sample. Likewise, by use of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) minute amounts of drugs may be detected and the exact quantity present determined as well. The results of these tests will play a role in determining if charges will be brought against a driver for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. By far and away the most common drugs found, after alcohol, are cocaine and marijuana. However, date rape drugs like gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) are being seen more and more often.

Medical Examiner Death Investigations

Similar to tests run in DUI cases, blood, urine and other bodily materials also supply toxicologists with clues into the cause of a death. Whether a victim was shot, stabbed or died from blunt force trauma, DOFS toxicologists are routinely called upon to determine if drugs or poisons may have played a role in the death. Blood, tissue and stomach contents can all provide valuable information when analyzed with a GC-MS as to the type and quantities of drugs involved in a death. The Toxicology section tested about 12,000 samples for drugs in 2000.

Inhalants

The Toxicology section also is responsible for identifying inhalant abuse, such as seen by the inhalation of solvents, glues, freon and nitrous oxides. The section receives between two to five cases involving inhalants each month, with the majority of the victims under the age of 30 years old. In fact, a recent study revealed one in five eighth grade students have sniffed glue or "huffed" household product. Huffing is when an aerosol or solvent is placed in an almost closed area, like a soda can or bag and the fumes are inhaled. Among products commonly abused are computer and VCR cleaning solutions, cigarette lighter fluid, barbecue fuels and correction fluid or markers. Both sniffing glue and huffing kill brain cells and can lead to death. To determine what chemicals are present in cases where inhalants are believed to be involved, a DOFS toxicologist uses chemical instrumentation such as GC and GC-MS to analyze the residual air left in a lung or the chemicals that may be found in the blood of a huffing victim.

With demands on the Toxicology section growing each day, the unit has recently grown through the addition of 30 additional scientists to the statewide program. The employees will be assigned to one of six toxicology labs in the state. The other labs are located in Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Moultrie, Savannah and Summerville.