Drug risks, controlling

For food safety purposes the overriding aim is that food contamination should be reduced to the lowest practicable level, bearing in mind the potential costs and benefits involved. Since it is difficult to establish cause and effect relationships following long-term (chronic) exposure at low concentrations, it may be necessary to base action on prudence rather than on proven harm to health. However, if this approach is to maintain the confidence of both consumers and producers of food, a rational evaluation of all relevant information is required so that the balance between the risks and benefits of veterinary drugs can be assessed. Information on the incidence of potentially harmful drug residues is fundamental to this cost-benefit analysis so too is the consumption of the commodities involved (particularly for susceptible consumers or those consumers who eat more). Account must also be taken of the potential fall in food production if a drug is controlled or prohibited, and also the animal health and welfare implications that may result from the restriction of an animal medicine for which there may be no effective alternative. 

Dr. Ayotte and her team face many challenges. They look for reliable tests for natural substances, develop new analytical techniques, and determine the normal levels of banned substances for male and female athletes. Dr. Ayotte must defend her tests in hearings and with the press, especially when high-profile athletes get positive results. Fler dreams include an independent international doping control agency and better drug-risk education for athletes. 

Thrift AG, McNeil JJ, Forbes A, Donnan GA. Risk of primary intracerebral haemorrhage associated with aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs case-control study. BMJ 1999 318(7186) 759-64. 

The control of drugs is an important task and will continue to be the subject of many publications. Many drugs have medical uses but a great number have recreational purposes with significant health risks which makes necessary both national and international control. While drugs remain controlled, it will be necessary, within the legal context, for the forensic scientist to carry out their analysis. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., representing about 25% of all deaths [19]. On average, an American dies every 39 seconds from cardiovascular disease [20]. One third of the United States population older than 19 has hypertension [21]. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Monotherapy adequately controls hypertension in only about 50% of patients and therefore many require a combination of at least two drugs to control blood pressure [22]. Common classes of medications for the treatment of hypertension are angiotensin II receptor antagonists, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, p-blockers, and diuretics. 

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