Citation

Jones GR, Singer PP. J. Can. Soc. Forensic Sci. 2007; 40(2): 35-38.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Canadian Society of Forensic Science, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00085030.2007.10757149

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two separate cases of death due to suicidal formaldehyde poisoning are reported. Formaldehyde is very rapidly metabolized to formic acid (formate). Formate concentrations were as follows: Case 1--blood 0.37, vitreous humor 0.12, urine 0.08; Case 2--blood 0.72, vitreous humor 0.57, urine 0.41 (all g/L). Methanol was also detected in all specimens, attributed to its presence as a stabilizer in commercial formaldehyde solutions. Formate was measured by headspace gas chromatography on an Rtx-BAC1 fused silica column (30 m × 0.53 mm ID, 3.0 μm film thickness, Restek #18001) after in situ methylation using methanol and concentrated sulfuric acid. The internal standard was diisopropyl ether.