Intratracheal gas analysis for volatile substances by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry - Application to forensic autopsies

Intratracheal gas analysis was carried out by gas chromatography/mass spect rometry (GC(MS) in 20 burned body cases (13 males and 7 females). Volatile aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons were detected by GC/MS using a GS-Q col umn with the intratracheal gas as well as the blood in 19 cases. The charac teristic patterns of mass chromatograms for gasoline, kerosene (gas oil), a nd liquid petroleum gas could be differentiated from each other using the i ntratracheal. gas. The burned body in one case showed no presence of volati le substances in the intratracheal gas, nor intratracheal soot, although hi gh concentrations (1 mug/g and more) of volatile substances were detected o n the clothes. The victim also had normal CO-Hb concentrations (0.1 to 0.2% ) in the heart blood. The results of intratracheal gas analysis were consis tent with signs of the vital reaction. In conclusion, intratracheal gas ana lysis provides a supportive method for diagnosing the cause of death in bur ned bodies, and yields for at feast 48 hours valuable information on volati le hydrocarbons (being detected in deliberate or accidental fire cases); to which the body had been exposed just before death.