Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe St. N, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada.
Int J Legal Med. 2013 Sep;127(5):923-30. doi: 10.1007/s00414-013-0823-x. Epub 2013 Jan 25.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether gasoline residues could be detected post-mortem in lung tissue and heart blood of fire victims. The lungs and heart blood were investigated to determine whether they were suitable samples for collection and could be collected without contamination during an autopsy. Three sets of test subjects (pig carcasses) were investigated under two different fire scenarios. Test subjects 1 were anaesthetized following animal ethics approval, inhaled gasoline vapours for a short period and then euthanized. The carcasses were clothed and placed in a house where additional gasoline was poured onto the carcass post-mortem in one fire, but not in the other. Test subjects 2 did not inhale gasoline, were clothed and placed in the house and had gasoline poured onto them in both fires. Test subjects 3 were clothed but had no exposure to gasoline either ante- or post-mortem. Following controlled burns and suppression with water, the carcasses were collected, and their lungs and heart blood were excised at a necropsy. The headspace from the samples was analysed using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Gasoline was identified in the lungs and heart blood from the subjects that were exposed to gasoline vapours prior to death (test subjects 1). All other samples were negative for gasoline residues. These results suggest that it is useful to analyse for volatile ignitable liquids in lung tissue and blood as it may help to determine whether a victim was alive and inhaling gases at the time of a fire.
本研究旨在确定在火灾受害者的肺组织和心血中是否能检测到汽油残留。研究了肺和心血，以确定它们是否适合采集样本，并且在尸检过程中是否可以避免污染。在两种不同的火灾场景下，对三组测试对象（猪尸体）进行了调查。测试对象 1 在获得动物伦理批准后接受了麻醉，短暂吸入了汽油蒸气，然后被安乐死。尸体穿着衣服被放置在一间房子里，在一场火灾中，额外的汽油被倒在尸体上，但另一场火灾中没有。测试对象 2 没有吸入汽油，穿着衣服被放置在房子里，两场火灾中都有汽油倒在他们身上。测试对象 3 穿着衣服，但无论是生前还是死后都没有接触过汽油。在受控燃烧和用水抑制后，收集尸体，并在尸检时切除其肺部和心血。使用热解吸-气相色谱-质谱法对样品的顶空进行分析。在生前接触过汽油蒸气的测试对象 1 的肺和心血中检测到了汽油（test subjects 1）。所有其他样本均未检测到汽油残留。这些结果表明，分析肺组织和血液中的挥发性可燃液体是有用的，因为它可能有助于确定受害者在火灾发生时是否还活着并吸入了气体。
