Citation

Tanaka N, Kinoshita H, Jamal M, Takakura A, Kumihashi M, Miyatake N, Tsutsui K, Ameno K. Leg. Med. (Elsevier) 2015; 17(5): 299-303.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Miki, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.legalmed.2015.08.005

PMID

26415653

Abstract

We have investigated the usefulness of elemental analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in the examination of free liquid from the sphenoid sinus of drowning victims. We detected both chlorine and bromine in liquid taken from the sphenoid sinus of seawater drowning victims. Because these elements were below the quantification limit in freshwater cases, we could easily distinguish seawater from freshwater drowning cases. Detection of these elements from the liquid in the sphenoid sinuses of drowning victims may be useful as a supportive measure for seawater drowning.

Language: en