Postmortem diffusion of ingested and aspirated paint thinner

Abstract 

Post mortem diffusion of paint thinner (toluene/ethyl acetate/isobutanol 8:1:1 ) from gastric residue (25 ml or 100 ml) and airways contamination (25 ml) was assessed in a human cadaver model, with sampling after 24 h at room temperature. Four torso blood samples showed less toluene diffusion after gastric instillation (0.5-3.8 μg/ml) than after tracheal instillation (10.5–421 μg/ml). Isobutanol diffused more readily than toluene with four torso blood samples 1.8–256 μg/ml after gastric instillation and 26–576 μg/ml after tracheal instillation. Following 25 ml gastric instillation, toluene concentrations (μg/ml or μg/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 the liver than the right. Ethyl acetate was mostly undetectable in tissue samples but variably present in five blood samples: 0–21.2 μg/ml following 25 ml or 100 ml gastric instillation and 0–198 μg/ml following 25 ml tracheal instillation. Ethyl acetate was always detectable in 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 validity of femoral venous blood samples, brain, or liver from deep within the right lobe. Analysis of pericardial fluid and gastric contents allows identification of ethyl acetate and isobutanol thus implicating thinner solution.

Keywords:  Toluene, Ethyl acetate, Isobutanol, Ingestion, Aspiration, Postmortem diffusion

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