The Forensic Toxicology Laboratory utilizes a number of techniques and sophisticated instrumentation to detect and quantitatively analyze drugs and drug metabolites (breakdown products formed in the body) and other poisons (e.g., carbon monoxide, cyanide) in blood, urine and postmortem tissue. Instrumentation used by the laboratory includes: a dual-column headspace gas chromatograph, three gas chromatograph-mass spectrometers (GC-MS), one liquid chromatograph tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system (ELISA) for blood, an enzyme multiplied immunoassay test system (EMIT) for urine and a co-oximeter for the measurement of carbon monoxide in blood. The Forensic Toxicology Laboratory performs over 70 thousand tests annually.

In 2010 the laboratory completed 4,022 cases submitted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The analytical toxicological information compliments cause and manner of death classifications in suspicious or violent cases investigated by medical examiners and law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth.

Consultation and scientific expert witness testimony is available through a board certified (ABFT) forensic toxicologist.

UMass Memorial Medical Center, Clinical Laboratories
365 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
Phone: 508-793-6108
Fax: 508-793-6116