Is old stuff back? A fatal case of ethyl chloride sniffing

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

Paolo Fais¹  Jennifer P. Pascali²  Guido Viel³  Massimo Montisci³  Giovanni Cecchetto³ 

[1] Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, University of Bologna;Forensic Toxicology Division, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence;Legal Medicine and Toxicology, University-Hospital of Padova;

关键词: Forensic science;    Forensic toxicology;    Ethyl chloride;    Chloroethane;    Sudden sniffing deaths;    Gas chromatography;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41935-019-0136-4

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Ethyl chloride (EC) or chloroethane is a colourless halogenated hydrocarbon gas regularly employed as a topical anaesthetic spray for pain-related injuries and muscle spasm in athletes. However, EC became also popular as a street drug in the 1980s. Brief inhalations of EC vapour can result in dizziness, euphoria, confusion, incoordination, hallucinosis, impairment of short-term memory and narcosis. Inhalation of higher doses, usually employed to “get high”, may be related to severe depression of the central nervous system. Indeed, toxicity and deaths have been reported so far. Case presentation A 40-year-old man was found unresponsive after EC inhalation. EC determination was performed by dynamic headspace gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. EC was detected in the peripheral blood (0.156 g/L), central blood concentration (0.203 g/L) and the lung and brain (19 and 25 mg/kg). EC in the vitreous humour showed a sensitively lower respect to blood (0.018 vs 0.203 g/L). Conclusions Considering the results of toxicological analyses of investigations on the death scene besides the absence of any signs of trauma, death was attributed to inhalation of ethyl chloride.

【 授权许可】

Unknown