T. Takayasu et al., Intratracheal gas analysis for volatile substances by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry - Application to forensic autopsies, J FOREN SCI, 46(1), 2001, pp. 98-104
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.