Fourth Graders Learn About Forensic Toxicology

Christopher Cording got the undivided attention of a room full of fourth graders when he showed slides of bodily fluids and body parts damaged by drugs and alcohol. Cording works as a senior toxicologist in Westchester County’s Division of Forensic Toxicology in Valhalla. He explained the type of work he does during Highview Elementary School’s Career Day Program. 

“One of the things we learn in toxicology is everything is poison it just depends on how much you take,” he said. “Now forensic toxicology takes the science and applies it to law matters of the law.”

The Nanuet resident’s work encompasses three areas: medical examiner toxicology to determine cause of death, human performance toxicology which is testing for DWI, DWAI and DUI and hospital investigation cases that involve determining if patients are getting their prescribed medications. 

He told the students that alcohol, heroin, marijuana and cocaine are depressants and have a big impact on how people act. One student asked what happens when a person gets drunk. Cording said a drunken person does not think clearly and can make bad decisions like going into an outdoor water foundation in the winter. 

“All these different drugs are the depressants like alcohol it slowly turns your brain off,” he said.

Cording told them that tests of blood and urine determine if someone was using drugs or alcohol or abusing prescription drugs.

“Any drug you take into your body comes out of your body,” he told the students.

His slides of brain and liver samples drew strong reactions of surprise and disgust and his explanation of how maggots found on a decomposing body are frozen and ground up before being tested for drugs drew disbelief. 

One boy asked, “Are you serious about that?”

“Yes, I’m very serious about that,” said Cording. 

“I think it’s pretty cool what he’s showing us inside our body, what can poison us,” said nine-year-old Ian Cheng. “If you take to much you can die.”

Cheng said he was most surprised by what the liver looked like.

Shannon Kelly, also nine years old, had an opposite reaction to the presentation and did not think she could do the work that Cording does.

“I don’t think I could do it,” she said. “I think it’s too gross.”

Kelly did say she learned some important lessons from Friday’s presentation. 

“Not to take anything that is poisonous or take too many medicines that can really kill you,” she said.