Mills S W, Okoye M I
Department of Pathology, Hurley Medical Center, Flint, Michigan 48502.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1987 Sep;8(3):252-5. doi: 10.1097/00000433-198708030-00011.
Deliberate ingestion of a corrosive acid is an unusual manner of death. Sulfuric acid, often used in electrical industry, chemical laboratories, and agriculture, is fatal at a dosage of 3.5-7.0 ml. The mortality rate is quite high, with only 35% recovery rate. Poisoning by sulfuric acid resembles other mineral acids in that the esophagus is more commonly spared while coagulative necrosis of the stomach is often apparent. A case involving the ingestion of sulfuric acid by a patient with a history of chronic psychiatric illness is presented. The pathological, clinical, and toxicological aspects of this case are discussed.
