NCJ Number
182168
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2000 Pages: 474-477
Date Published
March 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper proposes a simple and rapid method for the assay of chlorate and chlorite ions that can be used on various body fluids such as blood, urine, and gastric content, so as to determine whether chlorate poisoning was involved in a death.
Abstract
A 49-year-old male chemical industry worker was admitted to intensive care with a 24-hour history of respiratory failure, vomiting, headache, stupor, arterial hypotension, and cyanosed face and limbs. He had acute haemolysis and 30 percent methaemoglobinaemia. Whereas the search for alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates was negative, benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants were present. The patient was being treated with fluvoxamine, amitryptiline, and alprazolam. As the clinical and biological signs suggested chlorate poisoning, the presence of chlorate was tested by using an aniline color reaction. It was found in gastric content and urine. Treatment consisted of mechanical ventilation, vasoactive amines, methylene blue, plasma exchange, exchange transfusion, and haemodialysis. Despite this, the patient had several cardiac arrests and refractory metabolic acidosis. He died 12 hours after his admission. Specific ion chromatography was used afterward to assay the chlorate in various body fluids. The technique was based on a separation on an ion exchange Dionex AS 12A column coupled with conductivity detection. A quantitative estimation was conducted by using external calibration with a four-point calibration curve that was linear between 1 and 15 mg/L. The measured plasma levels of chlorate were 789 and 29 mg/L respectively before and after exchange transfusion. Gastric-lavage liquid contained 1300 mg/L of chlorate and urine 4300 mg/L. Ion chromatography, which is routinely used in environmental studies, helped to confirm a massive oral intake of chlorate by measuring the corresponding blood and urine chlorate concentrations, data that had only rarely been reported previously. 1 figure, 1 table, and 13 references