POSTMORTEM DIFFUSION OF INGESTED AND ASPIRATED PAINT THINNER

Post mortem diffusion of paint thinner (toluene/ethyl acetate/isobutan ol 8:1:1 v/v) from gastric residue (25 ml or 100 ml) and airways conta mination (25 ml) was assessed in a human cadaver model, with sampling after 24 h at room temperature. Four torso blood samples showed less t oluene diffusion after gastric instillation (0.5-3.8 mu g/ml) than aft er tracheal instillation (10.5-421 mu g/ml). Isobutanol diffused more readily than toluene with four torso blood samples 1.8-256 mu g/ml aft er gastric instillation and 26-576 mu g/ml after tracheal instillation . Following 25 ml gastric instillation, toluene concentrations (mu g/m l or mu g/mg) were: pericardial fluid 0.7-4.0; bile 0.5-0.6; urine 0-0 .6; brainstem 1.1; lung 0.4-4.4; liver 0-162; spleen 0.6-0.7; kidneys 0.4-0.6; peri-renal fat 0.3-30.3; psoas muscle 0.3-0.8; concentrations of toluene and isobutanol were markedly higher in the left lobe of th e liver than the right. Ethyl acetate was mostly undetectable in tissu e samples but variably present in five blood samples: 0-21.2 mu g/ml f ollowing 25 ml or 100 ml gastric instillation and 0-198 mu g/ml follow ing 25 ml tracheal instillation. Ethyl acetate was always detectable i n pericardial fluid but not always detectable in gastric contents. We conclude that post mortem diffusion of toluene from gastric residue or airways contamination is unlikely to compromise the analytical validi ty of femoral venous blood samples, brain, or liver from deep within t he right lobe. Analysis of pericardial fluid and gastric contents allo ws identification of ethyl acetate and isobutanol thus implicating thi nner solution.