What is toxicology testing?
The toxicology testing performed after a person’s death is known as forensic toxicology testing or postmortem drug testing. That’s different from clinical toxicology, according to the College of American Pathologists. This is the drug testing an emergency room physician would be likely to order, for instance, if a patient shows up with signs and symptoms of drug overdose or abuse. Other types of toxicology testing include workplace drug testing, which also screens for drugs of abuse, and athletic drug testing in sport programs, which detect banned substances or drugs that enhance performance. The toxicology report that is eventually issued in forensic toxicology testing “is the result of the lab procedures identifying and quantifying potential toxins, which include prescription medications and drugs of abuse and interpretations of the findings,” says Howard S. Robin, MD. He is the medical director of laboratory services at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, Calif., and a board-certi
