Why do toxicology results take weeks to come back?

[Orrex]

You'll frequently hear about this or that dead person who may or may not have some kind of something in their bloodstream, and when they run the toxicology tests, the tests invariably take a few weeks to come back.


Do they send the tests on a cruise or something?

[hobbit709]

1. Backlog in labs and accurate tests aren't done in 5 minutes like on CSI.

[Orrex]

2. Backlog is an unfortunate excuse, but I'll buy it

I've never seen even 15 seconds of any of the myriad CSI or Law & Order programs, so my expectations aren't informed by them.

And I"ll tell you this: I had to pee in a cup when I applied for my job two years ago, and the results came back in within 72 hours.


Granted, a full test is going to be more comprehensive, but weeks longer? Get those cavemen a tricorder for god's sake!

[hobbit709]

3. pissing in a cup is a quick and dirty test.

also susceptible to false results. to do a mass spectrograph test takes a little longer, is much more accurate and way more expensive.

[Orrex]

4. Well, how long does it take, exactly?

I accept that there's a backlog, and I accept that pee-cupping doesn't offer the same precision, but how long does the actual test actually take?

I'm asking because I don't have any idea. For all I know, you might drop the sample in the machine and have to wait 504 hours for results.

[Nikia]

5. But if you did a mass spectograph in any of its forms, you would still get results quicker than that

If the tests were done right away. I know that the equipment is expensive, but if it is taking ten times longer than needed, they should invest in a few more machines.

[CBGLuthier]

7. There is an incredibly huge and lucrative industry behind piss tests

They are expensive and paid for by those who demand them and those who take them with the weight of criminal justice and employer's insurance companies pushing for more and more.

There is no such motivator for tests upon the deceased and the local-level taxpayer is often the one paying so it is not nearly as lucrative.

[mulsh]

9. CSI & Law & Order are TV shows. Actual forensic science tests take considerably longer.

Some things are fairly easy, like say nailing down blood alcohol content. Complex analysis of drugs in a decedent's system, entry, exit wounds, blood splatter patterns, and a host of other aspects take considerably longer.

[HopeHoops]

6. To give the lab techs time to filter the good stuff out for their own use.

[siligut]

8. Reminds me of the movie "Limitless" ************Spoiler dumbass****************

Near the end, the protagonist is under attack and he needs this drug to help him survive. The last dose is in the dead man next to him, so our hero laps up the seeping blood. So damn unrealistic. Movie writers really need to consult medical people on stuff, they so often get it wrong.

[Nevernose]

10. I know they have to grow cultures

I would assume that some specialized cultures -- the postmortem kind, for instance -- take time to grow/develop properly. At least that's what the coroner once told me.