American Chemical Society AMA: Hi Reddit! I’m Kevin Shanks, a Senior
Forensic Toxicologist with AIT Laboratories/Axis Forensic Toxicology.
Ask me anything about forensic science!
Abstract
Hi Reddit, and Happy National Chemistry Week! This year’s theme is
“Solving Mysteries through Chemistry” so I’m here to answer your
questions about forensic chemistry and how science plays a key role in
criminal investigations. I’m Kevin Shanks, a Senior Forensic
Toxicologist with Axis Forensic Toxicology, a forensic toxicology
laboratory in the Midwest USA. My areas of expertise include liquid
chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS, LC/MS/MS, LC/ToF) and the
analytical detection and toxicology of new psychoactive substances (NPS)
such as substituted cathinones (bath salts), synthetic cannabinoids
(spice/K2), NBOME hallucinogens, fentanyl analogs, and opioid research
chemicals. I oversee all method development and validation of analytical
methods for NPS at Axis and have provided fact and expert witness
testimony in drug chemistry, human performance toxicology, and
postmortem toxicology matters in numerous states. I hold a B.A in
Biology from Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, an M.S. in Forensic
Toxicology from the University of Florida, and am certified as a
Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology in forensic
toxicology. I also have published papers on the analytical detection and
postmortem toxicology of synthetic cannabinoids (i.e. JWH-018, 5F-PB-22,
ADB-FUBINACA, and 5F-AMB) as well as the detection of designer
substances in pills, powders, and plant materials. I have presented
research and casework at national meetings such as the Society of
Forensic Toxicologists annual conference. My most recent projects
include the analytical and forensic toxicology of fentanyl analogs, such
as carfentanil and furanylfentanyl, and their emergence in the United
States’ heroin supply. Ask me anything about drugs, poisons, newly
emerging substances, life in a forensic laboratory, postmortem
toxicology, and analytical chemistry. I’ll be back at 2:00 pm ET (11:00
am PT) to answer your questions. EDIT: I’m online now (came on early)
and will begin answering questions soon. Just as a disclaimer, many of
the answers are my opinions and do not reflect the thoughts and views of
my company/lab. Also, because of the nature of the work, I cannot
discuss active casework and also may not answer questions which could
lead to illegal or criminal activity. -KGS EDIT: Thanks for all the
awesome questions! I’m still answering questions. Going to try to get to
as many of these as possible. -KGS EDIT: I have to log off for now. It’s
been fun answering questions! I’ll be back around 6 pm ET (3 pm PT) to
answer some more questions. -KGS EDIT: I’ve logged back on for a bit to
answer some more questions. -KGS EDIT: I’m logging back off. This has
been a lot of fun. And I’m happy that there have been many excellent
questions. I’ll log in one more time later to try to answer more
questions. Look for that around 8 pm ET (5 pm PT). EDIT: I’ve had fun.
Hope I was able to answer some questions for you. I wish I could have
answered all the questions. Thanks to the ACS for having me do this.
-KGS