DETECTION OF TOLUENE IN AN ADIPOCERATOUS BODY

A 24-year-old male was found dead in a car left in a river for about 3 months. The cadaver was almost adipoceratous and autopsy findings rev ealed that there were neither remarkable injuries nor lethal diseases. Toluene, ethano, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, isovaleraldehyde and n-butyl n-butyrate were dete cted in the specimens collected at the autopsy by head space gas chrom atography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The toluene concentrations (mu g/ g) were 31.0 in brain, 10.6 in liver, 5.4 in kidney, 15.0 in skeletal muscle and 187.1 in adipose tissue. The presence of diatom in lung, li ver and kidney suggested that death was caused by drowning. So far as we know, this is the first report of detection of toluene in an adipoc eratous body.