Postmortem Toxicology Testing
Mission
To help determine the cause of manner of death by examining autopsy specimens for the presence and quantity of drugs and/or poisons.
What we do
-
• Identify and quantify drugs and poisons in biological fluids to provide critical information for the investigations conducted by the Office of the State Medical Examiners.
-
• Provide driver fatality statistics for the National Highway Traffic Safety Board’s use in driver safety initiatives and awareness campaigns.
-
• Identify emerging illicit and designer drugs which can lead to overdose epidemics.
Accomplishments
-
Validated and implemented the following new methods to enhance previous procedures:
-
Enhanced method for cannabinoids with new compounds added, including CBD
-
Improved method for 27 antidepressants and over-the-counter drugs
-
New method for 17 central nervous depressants (sedatives, sleeping agents, muscle relaxants)
-
Improved method for 27 antidepressants and over-the -counter drugs (2020)