Dear Deputy Minister, I would like to draw your attention towards an instrument that can be very beneficial for this field of study. Forensics is the use of any discipline, like chemistry, to aid the l investigation of death, poison and excessive drug use. This allows chemists, like myself, to collect and analyse evidence that is crucial to a case. I am an employed chemist, at the Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences, and I specialize in the scientific field of toxicology. Toxicology is study of the negative effects of foreign chemicals on a living species and the structure and function of compounds that have traumatic effects on the human body. To elaborate, the toxicology section is responsible for the examination of body tissues and fluids, tablets, powders and liquids. These studies are carefully performed by my team and I. However, not all studies are as successful as we hope for them to be. We experience these limitations due to the lack of proper equipment. To ensure that these studies produce the most accurate results, the use of a mass spectrometer can be crucial. This is an instrument that can measure the masses and concentrations of atoms and molecules present in a sample. Individual ions are produced from the sample and the ions are separated according to their mass by a magnetic field. A signal is produced which is generated by the separated ions. These incredible devices are essential tools in our laboratory because they allow for quick and accurate identification of unknown compounds. Timing and accuracy can be crucial when dealing with the identification of unknown toxins. In toxicology, and important use of the mass
