Forensic toxicology is the application of toxicology to the law. It demands more than just reading a lab report; it requires interpreting what those numbers mean in a living or deceased body. Dr. Gustin provides critical analysis in cases of unexplained death, drug-facilitated crimes, and driving under the influence (DUI/DUID).
In toxic tort and personal injury cases, establishing a temporal relationship between exposure and injury is not enough; you must prove biological plausibility. Dr. Gustin applies rigorous toxicological principles—specifically the Bradford Hill criteria—to determine if the alleged exposure was sufficient to cause the claimed harm.
Whether the case involves acute poisoning, a slip-and-fall under the influence of prescribed medication, or long-term organ damage from industrial chemicals, Dr. Gustin isolates the toxic agent's role from pre-existing conditions.
Driving under the influence cases often hinge on the correlation between blood drug concentration and actual impairment. Tolerance, timing of ingestion, and metabolism rates vary wildly between individuals.
Dr. Gustin analyzes the specific pharmacokinetics of the case to determine if the defendant was truly impaired at the time of the incident, or if the drug presence was a residual, non-impairing metabolite (common in marijuana and prescription drug cases).
A lab result is only as reliable as the method used to obtain it. Dr. Gustin scrutinizes the entire testing process—from chain of custody and sample storage to the calibration of the mass spectrometer.
He identifies 'false positives' caused by cross-reactivity and challenges results where screening tests were not confirmed by specific quantitative analysis (LC-MS/MS), often uncovering procedural errors that can suppress invalid evidence.
If you have a case involving overdose, chemical exposure, or malpractice, contact Dr. Gustin for a preliminary discussion.