ABSTRACT
Toxicology is the study of poisons; therefore, forensic toxicology is an examination of all aspects of toxicity that may have legal implications. (For a discussion of career preparation for this field, see Sidebar 10.1.) This is a functional definition that allows us to distinguish forensic toxicology from other sub-specializations of toxicology; for example, occupational toxicology deals with chemical hazards in the
workplace, and environmental toxicology focuses on toxic chemicals often of human origin and present in the environment. In the forensic sphere, procedures and testing methods may be similar to those of other areas of toxicology, but the legal ramifications of such findings are what make forensic toxicology unique.
