ABSTRACT
A case of suicide with the insecticide omethoate is reported. An 18-year-old apprentice gardener had ingested an unknown amount of omethoate. His body was found in his room lying in the storage space under his bed. The autopsy first showed multiple superficial incisions in the skin of his wrists, furthermore hemorrhagic pulmonary oedema, dilation of the right cardiac ventricle and oedema of the brain. The gastric mucosa was swollen and showed a dark brownish colour. An intensive, chemical-like smell rose from the corpse and organs. Toxicological analysis detected omethoate in cardiac blood (208 micro g/ml), urine (225 micro g/ml) and bile (524 micro g/ml), in the liver (341 micro g/ml) and kidneys (505 micro g/ml). In the gastric content the level was 48223 micro g/ml. The amount of the active AChE in peripheral blood serum was reduced to less than 0.2% of the normal level. To our knowledge no case of a fatal suicide by ingestion of omethoate has been reported in literature.
Subject(s)
Cholinesterase Inhibitors/poisoning , Dimethoate/analogs & derivatives , Dimethoate/poisoning , Insecticides/poisoning , Acetylcholinesterase/blood , Adolescent , Austria , Autopsy , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/analysis , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics , Chromatography, Gas , Dimethoate/analysis , Dimethoate/pharmacokinetics , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Insecticides/analysis , Insecticides/pharmacokinetics , Male , Poisoning/blood , Suicide , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
A fatal accident after isoflurane abuse is presented in this report. A hospital employee was found dead in the operating area with a plastic bag over his head. In his locker an almost empty bottle of isoflurane was found. Autopsy revealed signs of asphyxiation and toxicological examination revealed nordazepam and isoflurane in non-toxic concentrations in the blood. Quantification of the anaesthetic was also carried out in urine, gastric contents, liver, kidney and brain samples, and in addition, oxazepam, prothipendyl and metabolites of midazolam and prothipendyl were found in the urine. Although the drug problems of the deceased were known before, no efforts had been made to restrict access to these drugs.
Subject(s)
Anesthetics, Inhalation , Isoflurane , Substance-Related Disorders , Accidents , Adult , Anesthetics, Inhalation/analysis , Asphyxia/etiology , Chromatography, Gas , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Isoflurane/analysis , Male , Substance-Related Disorders/complicationsABSTRACT
Analytical 250x4.6 mm I.D. columns packed with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) derivatised silica were used to separate alkali metal ions and the ammonium ion in combination with non-suppressed conductivity detection. The addition of 2.5-10 mmol/l of the macrocyclic crown ether 18-crown-6 to the nitric acid eluent resulted in a change in the elution order and a significant improvement in the resolution between potassium and ammonium because of selective complexation of potassium. However, the admixture of 15-crown-5 did not improve the resolution of lithium and sodium, although 15-crown-5 is a selective complexing agent for sodium. Retention and resolution of lithium, sodium, ammonium, cesium, rubidium and potassium ions increased at lower temperatures down to 1 degree C. The simultaneous separation of alkali and transition metals under isocratic conditions was achieved with an eluent comprising 10 mmol/l 18-crown-6, 1.5 mmol/l dipicolinic acid, and 1.9 mmol/l nitric acid. The chromatographic system enabled the quantitation of alkali metal ions with detection limits in the low ppb range and excellent linearity. Finally, the applicability of the method was approved by quantitation of sodium, ammonium and potassium in different water samples.
