Citation

Wiomore JG, Chow BLC. J. Can. Soc. Forensic Sci. 2000; 33(3): 145-149.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Canadian Society of Forensic Science, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00085030.2000.10757510

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A case report of a suicidal fall in which a postmortem blood sample collected from the victim was placed in a jar without preservative and a urine sample was placed in a tube containing at least 1% w/v sodium fluoride preservative. The samples were received at the Centre of Forensic Sciences nineteen days later. The ethanol concentration of the blood as determined by headspace GC, was 96 mg/dL. No ethanol was detected in the urine. In addition the blood sample was found to contain 4 mg/dL of n-propanol. This paper discusses the use of n-propanol as an indicator of neo-formation of ethanol and cautions against use of this compound as an internal standard for postmortem ethanol analysis unless previous screening for it has been conducted. © 2000 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; alcohol; alcohol blood level; autopsy; blood sampling; case report; conference paper; human; male; propanol; screening test; standard; suicide; urinalysis