Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
Forensic Sci Int. 2012 Apr 10;217(1-3):71-5. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.09.027. Epub 2011 Oct 22.
Volatile hydrocarbons in post-mortem blood from victims of fires were analyzed quantitatively by headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The benzene and styrene concentrations in the blood were positively correlated with the carboxyhemoglobin (CO-Hb) concentration, which is evidence that the deceased inhaled the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide simultaneously. By contrast, the concentrations of toluene and CO-Hb in the blood were not significantly correlated. This lack of correlation could be explained by two different sources of toluene, with low blood concentrations of toluene arising when the deceased inhaled smoke and high blood concentrations of toluene arising when the deceased inhaled petroleum vapor or other unknown vapors. The quantity of soot deposited in the respiratory tract was classified into four grades (-, 1+, 2+, 3+). The mean CO-Hb concentration in the 1+ soot group was significantly lower than those in the 2+ (p<0.05) and 3+ (p<0.01) soot groups. The blood CO-Hb concentrations in the 1+ soot group were all below 30%. Those indicated that the deceased aspirated smoke that contained both soot and carbon monoxide. The wide variation in CO-Hb concentrations for each soot classification could be caused by the different types of smoke produced by different materials. For example, petroleum combustion with a limited supply of oxygen, like in a compartment fire, may produce a large volume of dense black smoke that contains a large quantity of soot. Soot deposits in the airways and the blood CO-Hb concentration are basic and essential autopsy findings that are used to investigate fire-related deaths. The quantitative GC-MS analysis of blood volatile hydrocarbons can provide additional useful information on the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the death. In combination, these three findings are useful for the reconstruction of cases.
运用顶空气相色谱质谱法对火灾遇难者死后血液中的挥发性碳氢化合物进行了定量分析。血液中苯和苯乙烯的浓度与一氧化碳血红蛋白（CO-Hb）浓度呈正相关，这表明死者同时吸入了碳氢化合物和一氧化碳。相比之下，血液中甲苯和 CO-Hb 的浓度没有显著相关性。这种缺乏相关性可以用甲苯的两个不同来源来解释，当死者吸入烟雾时，血液中的甲苯浓度较低，而当死者吸入石油蒸气或其他未知蒸气时，血液中的甲苯浓度较高。呼吸道中沉积的烟尘量分为四个等级（-、1+、2+、3+）。1+烟尘组的平均 CO-Hb 浓度明显低于 2+（p<0.05）和 3+（p<0.01）烟尘组。1+烟尘组的血液 CO-Hb 浓度均低于 30%。这表明死者吸入了含有烟尘和一氧化碳的烟雾。每个烟尘分类的 CO-Hb 浓度差异较大，可能是由于不同材料产生的烟雾类型不同。例如，在一个舱室火灾中，供氧有限的石油燃烧可能会产生大量浓烟，其中含有大量烟尘。气道中的烟尘沉积和血液中的 CO-Hb 浓度是调查火灾死亡原因的基本和必要的尸检发现。血液挥发性碳氢化合物的定量 GC-MS 分析可以为火灾原因和死亡情况提供额外的有用信息。这三个发现结合起来有助于案件的重建。
