The Problems in the Interpretation of Analytical Findings of PsychoactiveSubstances in Toxicology

Overview

Toxicological examination of biological samples of a certain case is a complex task which de-mands knowledge not only of modern analytical methods but also of the fate and effects ofxenobiotics in organism. The evidence of unknown drugs and poisons in biological material isa difficult matter due to the broad variety of harmful substances and their unlimited possiblemixtures, due to variable concentrations in a broad unpredictable range. In toxicology, there isthe important question of the completness of evidence and correctness of chemical identificationof individual substances. Generally, the validation of qualitative methods is less developed thanthe validation of quantitative methods. The evidence of unknown harmful substances in biologi-cal samples requires often the individual consideration about optimal attitude to a nonstandardtoxicological case and prevent from application of uniform procedures in fixed combinations.

Key words:
toxicological analyses - toxicological evidence of unknown substances - detection andidentification of poisons in biological material - validation of analytical methods