Citation

Dumestre-Toulet V, Eyquem A, Gaulier JM, Christin E, Benali L, Gromb-Monnoyeur S. Toxicol. Anal. Clin. 2015; 27(2): 105-109.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Société Française de Toxicologie Analytique, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxac.2015.03.055

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Asphyxia by placing a plastic bag over the head in addition to inhaling volatile substances is an unusual way of committing suicide. The authors report the cases of 2 males, aged 56 and 32, found dead, who used diethylether or chloroform to lose consciousness and to suffer from subsequent asphyxia by placing their head in plastic bag. Peripheric blood concentrations were 159mg/L for ether (subject 1) and 33.6mg/L for chloroform (subject 2), respectively. Observed concentrations of these volatile substances in the other autopsy samples are coherent with an exposition close to the decease. In both cases, death can be explained by anoxia combined with ether or chloroform exposition. Nevertheless, several items should be taken into consideration for interpretation of post-mortem results, such as time-delay elapsed between death and sampling and/or analysis, specimens collection (use of air-tight containers, filled up containers, selection of organ samples...) and samples preservation. © 2015 Société Française de Toxicologie Analytique.

Language: fr

Keywords

adult; human; male; Asphyxia; asphyxia; autopsy; death; human tissue; middle aged; plastic; volatile agent; Plastic bag; ether; quantitative analysis; Article; chloroform; Chloroform; anoxia; suffocation; Diethylether; HS-GC-MS