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Since Brittany Murphy's father recently came out with a new toxicology test revealing that his daughter may have been poisoned by a third party, some toxicologists have began questioning just how accurate the results are.
The results Angelo Bertolotti found revealed that Murphy, the 8 Mile actress who died in Dec. 2009, had elevated levels of heavy metals in her hair. One of the leading reasons heavy metals are detected in hair is from hair dye, and coroners normally do not test for this unless there are signs of extreme poisoning, according to Slate.
Bruce Goldberger, director of forensic medicine at the University of Florida and president of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, spoke out against Bertolotti's new test. The Wrap reported:
"Brittany Murphy was a beautiful young lady when she passed away and I'm certain that she had multiple hair treatments," said Goldberger, who reviewed both the report and Murphy's initial autopsy report from the coroner. "The hair treatments themselves can alter the chemistry of the hair sample. Your hair is like a sponge. It is susceptible to external contamination from the environment."
In addition, Carlson Co., the laboratory that performed the private test, is not accredited by the College of American Pathologists, according to Slate. They also found this statement from the report to be misleading:
"If we were to eliminate the possibility of a simultaneous accidental heavy metals exposure to the sample donor then the only logical explanation would be an exposure to these metals (toxins) administered by a third party perpetrator with likely criminal intent."
"It is not appropriate to put those sorts of [criminal intent] comments on a laboratory report," said Goldberger. "That statement cannot be supported without the proper corroborating evidence."
Officials from the L.A. County Coroner told RadarOnline.com that they would exhume Murphy's body if there was new evidence found. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said they hadn't received the new toxicology reports from Bertolotti. However, if they were to exhume her body, they would need a court order, but if Bertolotti did it privately, he wouldn't need to.
Results from an original toxicology report had showed Murphy had died from pneumonia and anemia, and her husband, Simon Monjack had died in the same manner five months later. The New York Daily News reported that Murphy's mother, Sharon Murphy had questioned how Bertolotti had obtained hair samples for the new test.
Related stories:
Brittany Murphy May Have Been Killed By Rat Poison, According To New Tests
Brittany Murphy's Dad Sues Coroner's Office Over Its Investigation Into Her Death, He Believes Toxic Mold Actually Killed Her
Did Brittany Murphy's Moldy House Kill the Actress and Her Husband?
Brittany Murphy's Husband, Simon Monjack, Found Dead
