It might make a person uneasy if a doctor wants to perform toxicology testing on them, especially if they don’t know the importance of forensic medicine and toxicology. The reasons behind the tests will depend on their situation and what the doctor wants to monitor or evaluate.
Most people won’t interact with the field of toxicology, but a better understanding of its purpose can offer some perspective.
The field of study that examines the effects of chemical, biological, and physical substances on living organisms is known as toxicology. Notably, toxicology has medical and environmental applications for humans and even other living creatures.
Researchers are able to monitor and analyze substances, particles, pollutants, and bacteria to identify the risks they cause when exposed to humans and living organisms.
Public health organizations rely on toxicologists to understand and report on what is commonly unseen in day-to-day life. Toxicologists inform us of the hidden dangers and risks that can pose severe threats to our health and well-being at the individual level to the full scale of a community.
The advancement of the field of toxicology has been made more important as technology and science evolves and develop new chemicals and compounds that may have an industrial purpose but could be harmful to our health.
Toxicology includes several specialized branches such as environmental, medical, and forensic toxicology.
Environmental toxicology studies how synthetic and naturally occurring substances interact with the world around us. It also interprets the potential detrimental effects on human health from being exposed to environmental toxicants. Specialists in the environmental toxicology field work with the regulation and management of hazardous waste, as well as new environmental concerns like microplastics, for example.
Medical toxicology is a discipline that examines the negative consequences of medical treatments, proper dosages, and set standards for exposure for substances used in medical practice on patients. By identifying where a problem originates or the potential risks and hazards, medical toxicology allows doctors and healthcare workers to provide a better, more effective quality of care.
Those who are not familiar with the field of toxicology will probably recognize its applications in forensic studies and crimes, as it is portrayed in medical or legal dramas on television. Forensic pathology focuses on investigating a deceased person’s body.
Forensic toxicology does have a significant role in criminal cases by combing toxicological procedures with legal research. It is frequently utilized to determine a cause of death or what role chemicals play in a crime.
Forensic toxicology also applies to drug testing in the office place for job compliance, legal proceedings, or professional sports.
When it comes to toxicology, there are many applications outside of forensic investigations, and it can be extremely beneficial for doctors to order toxicology screening for a patient.
A doctor may want to get a clearer picture of what drugs or medications are a patient’s system to help them on the path to recovery from addiction. Or they can even monitor what–if anything–is still present in the patient’s system while evaluating their medications and treatment plan.
For more information on the importance of forensic medicine and toxicology, contact us. We have an online form to make contacting us simple. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible to answer all your questions.