LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
I'm sorry but I've never worked in toxicology.
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titles and job requirements aren't uniform, so the only way to know is to call the crime labs in your area or whereever you might be interested in working and ask them. At the coroner's office we had to have at least a bachelor's in a natural science (this was before they had forensic science majors). At the police department where I am now, they only require a high school diploma but you get more points in the interviewing process for having a four year degree, so we all have one. You can also go on the websites for professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and check out their job vacancy postings and see what the various positions require. Good luck.
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Bleach will also destroy DNA but of course that may damage items. Soap and water will do.
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It all depends on where you want to work and what they require. At the coroner's office we all had at least a bachelor's degree in a natural science like biology, because there were not any forensic degrees then. If you want to be a DNA analyst you will probably need to major in genetics or biochemistry. At the police department where I work, with our very small lab, we are only required to have a high school diploma--but you get extra points in the interview process for advanced degrees so we all have at least a bachelor's.I don’t know how helpful medical technology would be because that is specifically geared toward a different profession.
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Sure, I'll email you.
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That’s hard to say. It depends not only on how old the stain is but how old or how sensitive the reagents are. I’ve had old known semen stains not react with relatively new reagents so it is possible.
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You can cut off a sample of the tampon or sheet (if you don't want to cut a hole in your sheet, just take a clean cotton swab, dampen with water, and rub on the stain until some of the stain transfers...do that before you wash the sheet or it probably won't work well). Let it air-dry, if necessary, and package in a clean envelope. Then rub a clean cotton swab on the inside of your own mouth for your own standard and seal in a separate clean envelope. Don't put anything in plastic. You should be able to get those tested at a lab, such as LabCorp, though it might take some explaining since they usually do parent-child comparisons. This will cost you anywhere from $250 to $600, according to their website. Of course all that will do is tell you if the blood is yours. It won't tell you whose it is. PS if it's a tiny amount on the sheets it could also be from him--shaving nick, shin scrape, that sort of thing. We bleed a lot more than we realize.
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