IDENTIFICATION OF A FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE IN A FIRE-RELATED DEATH

H. Kinoshita, N. Tanaka, M. Jamal, K. Nagata, M. Kumihashi, K. Tsutsui, S. Kimura

Abstract: The identification of flammable substances provides useful information in fire-related deaths. Hydrocarbons can be detected in blood, intratracheal gas and other body samples, including stomach contents, due to the unintentional swallowing and/or ingesting of vapour or liquid. The present results demonstrate the usefulness of sampling and analysing stomach contents.
Keywords: kerosene, GC-MS, hydrocarbons, stomach contents.