Maxeiner H, Haenel F
Z Rechtsmed. 1985;94(3):191-6.
Remarkable autopsy findings in persons who had suffocated as a result of closure of the mouth and nose by sand (without the body being buried) induced us to investigate some aspects of this situation by means of a simple experiment. A barrel (diameter 36.7 cm) with a mouthpiece in the bottom was filled with sand to a depth of 15, 30, 60, or 90 cm. The subject tried to breathe as long as possible through the sand, while the amount of sand inspired was measured. Pressure and volume of the breath, as well as the O2 and CO2 content were also measured. A respiratory volume of up to 31 was possible, even when the depth was 90 cm. After about 1 min in all trials, the subject's shortness of breath forced us to stop the experiment. Measurement of O2 and CO2 concentrations proved that respiratory volume in and out of the sand shifts to atmospheric air without gas exchange, even when the sand depth is 15 cm. Sand aspiration depended on the moisture of the material: when the sand was dry, it was impossible to avoid aspiration. However, even a water content of only 5% prevented aspiration, although the sand seemed to be nearly dry.
对因口鼻被沙子捂住（身体未被掩埋）而窒息的人员进行的尸检发现十分显著，这促使我们通过一项简单实验对这种情况的某些方面展开研究。一个底部有吹嘴的桶（直径36.7厘米），里面填充了深度为15、30、60或90厘米的沙子。受试者试图尽可能长时间地通过沙子呼吸，同时测量吸入的沙子量。还测量了呼吸的压力和容积，以及氧气和二氧化碳含量。即使深度为90厘米，呼吸量仍可达3升左右。在所有试验中，大约1分钟后，受试者的呼吸急促迫使我们停止实验。氧气和二氧化碳浓度的测量证明，即使沙子深度为15厘米，进出沙子的呼吸量也会转向大气，且无气体交换。吸入沙子与否取决于沙子的湿度：当沙子干燥时，无法避免吸入。然而，即使含水量仅为5%也能防止吸入，尽管沙子看起来几乎是干的。
