Post-mortem detection of gasoline residues in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims

Pahor, K; Olson, G; Forbes, SL

Post-mortem detection of gasoline residues in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims

Pahor, K Olson, G Forbes, SL

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2013, 127 (5), pp. 923 - 930
Issue Date:: 2013-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Pahor, K	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Olson, G	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Forbes, SL https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7416-0080	en_US
dc.date.available	2013-01-14	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-09-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2013, 127 (5), pp. 923 - 930	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0937-9827	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/26454
dc.description.abstract	The purpose of this study was to determine whether gasoline residues could be detected post-mortem in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims. The lungs and heart blood were investigated to determine whether they were suitable samples for collection and could be collected without contamination during an autopsy. Three sets of test subjects (pig carcasses) were investigated under two different fire scenarios. Test subjects 1 were anaesthetized following animal ethics approval, inhaled gasoline vapours for a short period and then euthanized. The carcasses were clothed and placed in a house where additional gasoline was poured onto the carcass post-mortem in one fire, but not in the other. Test subjects 2 did not inhale gasoline, were clothed and placed in the house and had gasoline poured onto them in both fires. Test subjects 3 were clothed but had no exposure to gasoline either ante- or post-mortem. Following controlled burns and suppression with water, the carcasses were collected, and their lungs and heart blood were excised at a necropsy. The headspace from the samples was analysed using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Gasoline was identified in the lungs and heart blood from the subjects that were exposed to gasoline vapours prior to death (test subjects 1). All other samples were negative for gasoline residues. These results suggest that it is useful to analyse for volatile ignitable liquids in lung tissue and blood as it may help to determine whether a victim was alive and inhaling gases at the time of a fire. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	International Journal of Legal Medicine	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s00414-013-0823-x	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Legal & Forensic Medicine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Lung	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Animals	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Swine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Blood Chemical Analysis	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Models, Animal	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Fires	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Gasoline	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Inhalation Exposure	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Forensic Toxicology	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Limit of Detection	en_US
dc.title	Post-mortem detection of gasoline residues in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	127	en_US
utslib.for	0399 Other Chemical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	0699 Other Biological Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	1103 Clinical Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CFS - Centre for Forensic Science
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	5	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	127	en_US

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine whether gasoline residues could be detected post-mortem in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims. The lungs and heart blood were investigated to determine whether they were suitable samples for collection and could be collected without contamination during an autopsy. Three sets of test subjects (pig carcasses) were investigated under two different fire scenarios. Test subjects 1 were anaesthetized following animal ethics approval, inhaled gasoline vapours for a short period and then euthanized. The carcasses were clothed and placed in a house where additional gasoline was poured onto the carcass post-mortem in one fire, but not in the other. Test subjects 2 did not inhale gasoline, were clothed and placed in the house and had gasoline poured onto them in both fires. Test subjects 3 were clothed but had no exposure to gasoline either ante- or post-mortem. Following controlled burns and suppression with water, the carcasses were collected, and their lungs and heart blood were excised at a necropsy. The headspace from the samples was analysed using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Gasoline was identified in the lungs and heart blood from the subjects that were exposed to gasoline vapours prior to death (test subjects 1). All other samples were negative for gasoline residues. These results suggest that it is useful to analyse for volatile ignitable liquids in lung tissue and blood as it may help to determine whether a victim was alive and inhaling gases at the time of a fire. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/26454