Postmortem Determination of the Biological Distribution of Formic Acid in Methanol Intoxication
Tanaka, E
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

Honda, K
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

Horiguchi, H
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.

Misawa, S
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.


Abstract
Two 25-year-old men were fatally intoxicated with methanol. The formic acid levels in their blood, urine, and organs were determined postmortem by headspace gas chromatography. The postmortem concentrations of formic acid in the two patients were the following: 0.32 and 0.23 mg/mL in blood, 2.27 and 0.47 mg/mL in urine, 0.11 and 1.17 mg/g in the brain, 0.54 and 0.51 mg/g in the liver, and 0.13 and 1.19 mg/g in the kidneys. The total amounts of formic acid in the gastric contents were 108 and 23.2 mg.

Keywords:
biological distribution, chromatographic analysis, forensic science, formic acid, gas chromatography, methanol, toxicology

Paper ID: JFS363910936

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Author Tanaka E, Honda K, Horiguchi H, Misawa S Title Postmortem Determination of the Biological Distribution of Formic Acid in Methanol Intoxication Symposium , Committee on