Equipment to Enhance Testing Capabilities of Toxicology Unit

The State of Delaware proposes to purchase instrumentation, supplies, and validation support to broaden casework capabilities in the Toxicology Unit to support criminal justice and public health communities as well as the citizens of Delaware.  Delaware is currently experiencing an opioid crisis, and as novel psychoactive substances are being added to common opiates like Fentanyl, devastating effects are felt within the state.  The Delaware Division of Public Health is relying on the Division of Forensic Science’s Toxicology Unit to identify these substances in order to educate the public regarding these new and dangerous additives.  The Department of Justice and law enforcement partners also rely on this information for prosecution of crimes.  Currently, the Toxicology Unit utilizes GC/MS instrumentation to screen for these substances, such as xylazine and nitazine, with limited results. The purchase of a Liquid Chromatograph Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (LC-Q-TOF-MS) instrument will allow the Toxicology Unit to increase sensitivity during the screening process and provide enhanced data to law enforcement and public health partners.

Project activities include the purchase of a Liquid Chromatograph Quadrupole Time-of-Flight (LC-QTOF) for the Toxicology Unit, and the successful validation and implementation of this instrument into the laboratory.  With the addition of an LC-QTOF, expected outcomes include the addition of these substances to the screening procedure, timely identification these dangerous additives, and enhanced information sharing with public health partners as well as the law enforcement community.