NCJ Number
187177
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2001 Pages: 98-104
Date Published
January 2001
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In determining whether or not accelerants were present in a fire, forensic autopsies on burned bodies can be a valuable source of evidence; this paper reports on the results of intratracheal gas analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in 20 cases of burned bodies (13 males and 7 females).
Abstract
Volatile aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons were detected by GC/MS using a GS-Q column with intratracheal gas as well as the blood in 19 cases. The characteristic patterns of mass chromatograms for gasoline, kerosene (gas oil), and liquid petroleum gas could be differentiated from each other using the intratracheal gas. The burned body in one case showed no presence of volatile substances in the intratracheal gas, nor intratracheal soot, although high concentrations (1 mg/g and more) of volatile substances were detected on the clothes. The victim also had normal CO-Hb concentrations (0.1 to 0.2 percent) in the heart blood. The results of intratracheal gas analysis were consistent with signs of the vital reaction. The study concludes that intratracheal gas analysis provides a supportive method for diagnosing the cause of death in burned bodies and yields for at least 48 hours valuable information on volatile hydrocarbons (being detected in deliberate or accidental fire cases) to which the body had been exposed just before death. 2 tables, 6 figures, and 23 references