A fatal case of drinking and cyanamide intake.

A 34-year-old housewife with alcohol dependence vomited severely, lost consciousness, and died after she took more than 20 ml of 1% calcium cyanamide, and alcoholic beverage containing about 129 g of ethyl alcohol. An autopsy was performed around 16 h after death. The body weighed 55.5 kg, and moderate lung edema was found. Ethanol concentrations were 4.24 mg/g in the left heart blood, 4.39 mg/g in the right heart blood, and 21.55 mg/g in the stomach contents. Cyanamide concentrations were 0.63 microgram/g in the left heart blood, 0.20 microgram/g in the right heart blood, and 0.22 microgram/g in the stomach contents. The cause of death was determined to be acute ethanol intoxication with alcohol-cyanamide reaction.