Suicide by carbon monoxide from car exhaust-gas in Denmark 1995-1999

In the period 1995-1999 there were 388 car exhaust-gas suicides in Denmark. Of these 343 (88.4%) were men and 45 (11.6%) were women, the average age being 47 years. The car exhaust-gas suicides made up 9.3% of all suicides in Denmark in the period. The corresponding rate was 11.7% for men and 3.7% for women. In rural areas a larger part of all suicides were committed with car exhaust-gas compared to the more densely populated areas. Mental disease was diagnosed in 124 (32.0%) cases. A suicide note was found in 165 (42.5%) cases. A hose was fitted to the exhaust pipe in 334 (86.1%) cases. Of these the 234 (60.3%) occurred outside, typically in a forest area, while 76 (19.6%) occurred in a closed garage. All the 54 (13.9%) cases with no hose fitted to the exhaust pipe occurred in a garage. Seven (1.8%) victims were found in a burning or burnt-out car, where the following investigation revealed that it was actually a car exhaust-gas suicide. Carboxyhemoglobin was measured in 26 (6.7%) victims. In two of these victims no carboxyhemoglobin was found, as they had survived for some time after the poisoning. The average saturation of the remaining victims was 67%, the lowest saturation being 20% and the highest being 84%. In the period 1969-1987 the number of car exhaust-gas suicides in Denmark increased from 50 to approximately 190 per year and the rate of car exhaust-gas suicides compared to all suicides increased from approximately 5% to approximately 13%. In 1987-1999 these figures decreased from approximately 190 to 63 per year and from 13% to approximately 8%. During these 30 years the number of passenger cars in Denmark doubled, which explains the increase in car exhaust-gas suicides during 1969-1987. A possible explanation for the decrease in 1987-1999 is the introduction of the catalytic converter, which was made mandatory in 1990. We anticipate that car exhaust-gas suicides will continue to decrease in numbers, as more cars are equipped with catalytic converters.     

Suicidal asphyxiation by inhalation of automobile emission without carbon monoxide poisoning

Reported herein is the suicidal asphyxiation of a young man due to exhaustion of oxygen in the interior of a sealed automobile into which the exhaust emissions were diverted. His blood carboxyhemaglobin concentration was less than 5% saturation. The car was equipped with a catalytic converter and when tested, the exhaust carbon monoxide concentration was 0.01%.     

Interaction between carbon monoxide and ethanol in fire fatalities.

Impairment due to ethanol is clearly a risk factor in deaths due to fire. However, it is less clear whether there is a physiological interaction between ethanol and carbon monoxide (CO) that would alter the carboxyhemoglobin saturation level (COHb sat.) that accounts for death. In an attempt to explore this issue further, 196 fire fatalities investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland over a 3-year period were examined. COHb sat. and blood ethanol concentrations (BAC) were tabulated. Twelve cases positive for therapeutic or abused drugs other than lidocaine or atropine were excluded; 184 cases were included. The data indicate that ethanol does not affect the COHb sat. that accounts for death, since the percentage of cases positive for ethanol at a given COHb range shows no trends. Therefore, we conclude that although ethanol remains a risk factor in fire fatalities, the risk appears to be related to the impairment that it produces as opposed to a direct interaction with CO.     

Suicidal carbon monoxide inhalation of exhaust fumes. Investigation of cases

The inhalation of automobile exhaust gases is a relatively frequent suicidal method. Two such cases of special interest to forensic pathology and toxicology have been introduced. In case 1, a suicide note disclosed the victim's mental state, the inside conditions of the car, and toxic effects of automobile exhaust. In case 2, a reconstruction experiment has revealed important factors for the investigation of the scene, such as the size of a vinyl hose, the conditions of connecting site of the hose with the exhaust pipe, etc.     

Suicide by asphyxiation due to helium inhalation

Suicide by asphyxiation using helium is the most widely-promoted method of "self-deliverance" by right-to-die advocates. However, little is known about persons committing such suicides or the circumstances and manner in which they are completed. Prior reports of suicides by asphyxiation involving helium were reviewed and deaths determined by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be helium-associated asphyxial suicides occurring between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2008 were included in a new case series examined in this article. The 10 asphyxial suicides involving helium identified in North Carolina tended to occur almost exclusively in non-Hispanic, white men who were relatively young (M age = 41.1 T 11.6). In 6 of 10 cases, decedents suffered from significant psychiatric dysfunction; in 3 of these 6 cases, psychiatric disorders were present comorbidly with substance abuse. In none of these cases were decedents suffering from terminal illness. Most persons committing suicide with helium were free of terminal illness but suffered from psychiatric and/or substance use disorders.     

Trends in suicide by carbon monoxide inhalation in King County, Washington: 1996-2009

Carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation is one of the leading methods of suicide in the United States. A sharp increase in suicide by inhaling the CO produced from burning charcoal has been reported in parts of Asia; however, the incidence of this method has not been determined in a U.S. population. Thus, we determined trends of CO suicide in the ethnically diverse population of King County, Washington, U.S.A. During the period 1996-2009, we identified 158 cases of suicide by CO poisoning, with 125 because of automotive exhaust, 26 because of charcoal burning, and seven from other CO sources. While historical U.S. data indicate >99% of CO suicides in the United States occurring by automobile exhaust inhalation, in the most recent years analyzed, c. 40% of CO-related suicides in King County, Washington, were because of charcoal burning, indicating a possible shift in suicide trends that warrants further scrutiny in additional populations.     

The role of hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide in fire casualties: a prospective study

Determinations of blood cyanide and carboxyhemoglobin concentrations were performed in 18 victims found dead in buildings after fires during a 2-year period. The results indicated that 50% of the victims had been exposed to toxic levels of hydrogen cyanide and 90% to toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide were found in 83% of the victims. In one case a lethal blood cyanide but a non-toxic blood carboxyhemoglobin value was found. It is concluded that carbon monoxide appears to be more important than hydrogen cyanide as a toxic agent in the fire atmosphere, but cyanide poisoning without carbon monoxide poisoning may, under certain circumstances, be the cause of death in fire victims.     

Suicide by fire in a car trunk: a case with potential pitfalls

We present an unusual case in which an adult female committed suicide by fire while enclosed in the trunk of her vehicle. A finding of suicide was reached only because several key investigative facts were uncovered. Without these discoveries the case may still remain open as a suspicious death. Fire is rarely used as a mechanism of suicide in Western culture, and, as such, similar cases should be reported to advance our recognition of this phenomenon.     

Asphyxial deaths caused by automobile exhaust inhalation not attributable to carbon monoxide toxicity: study of 2 cases

The authors report two suicides that resulted from the intentional inhalation of automobile exhaust gases in which death occurred without the formation of physiologically significant amounts of carboxyhemoglobin. These circumstances are correlated with measurements of the involved vehicles' exhaust gases, which showed reduced concentrations of carbon monoxide present, reflecting improvements in automobile engine technology. In the absence of carbon monoxide toxicity, the authors attribute death in these cases to asphyxia caused by carbon dioxide intoxication and diminished atmospheric oxygen concentrations.     

一氧化碳（CO）中毒检测方法

作者查阅近20年国内外相关文献的基础上,对一氧化碳(CO)中毒的检验方法进行了全面的阐述,同时对每种方法的优缺点和适用条件作了比较,并对适用于我国国情的顶空气质联用法进行了改良.     

Production of carbon monoxide in cadavers

Carbon monoxide (CO), total hemoglobin (Hb) and carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in the blood and reddish discolored body cavity fluids of cadavers which had not been exposed to fire and CO were analyzed. In 13 cadavers found on land, the maximum saturation of HbCO in the blood was 3.6%, and was 10.1% in the body cavity fluids. There was only one case in which the HbCO saturations in the body cavity fluids were more than 10%. In seven drowned bodies found in fresh water, the highest HbCO saturation in the blood was 6.1%, and was 44.1% in the body cavity fluids. There were three cases in which the HbCO saturations in the body cavity fluids were more than 10%. In 12 drowned bodies found in sea water, the HbCO saturations in the blood were not more than 6.2%, and the maximum saturation of HbCO in the body cavity fluids was 83.7%. There were eight cases in which the HbCO saturations in the body cavity fluids were more than 10%. The results seem to indicate that the interpretation of HbCO saturation in the blood would not be affected significantly by the postmortem formation of CO, and that body cavity fluids should not be used for CO determination.     

Determination of carbon monoxide in blood by gas chromatography using a thermal conductivity detector

A method is described for the gas chromatographic quantitation of carbon monoxide by means of thermal conductivity detection. Carbon monoxide is released from blood samples as small as 0.02 mL using a unique extraction chamber. The method was compared to a standard gas chromatographic and spectrophotometric method of carbon monoxide quantitation. It was comparable to the former with all samples evaluated and apparently more reliable than the latter with decomposed samples.     

Measuring carbon monoxide content in muscles

A method ist described to determine the CO-content in the tissue of muscles. The prepared tissue is pulverized in a swinging mill at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. Parts of the powder are weighed into headspace vessels. Carbon monoxide ist ejected by a formerly described method and measured gaschromatographically. The Fe-content is determined after an acid disintegration by AAS. Acute intoxications lead to higher CO-contents in heart than in periphere muscles. Chronic exposure to carbon monoxide does not produce these differences.     

Postmortem formation of carbon monoxide

Since carbon monoxide (CO) production after death was suggested in a drowned body, CO and carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) levels in blood and body cavity fluids of cadavers which were not exposed to fire and CO have been analyzed. CO released from the tissues was determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the total concentration of hemoglobin (Hb) was measured as cyanmethemoglobin (CNmHb). The HbCO level was calculated by the ratio of CO content and CO-binding capacity. CO levels (ml/100 g at STP) of the seven cases in which blood and body cavity fluids could be collected ranged from 0.13 to 0.87 in blood and 0.02 to 0.80 in body cavity fluids. HbCO levels in blood and body cavity fluids were from 0.3 to 6.0% and from 2.3 to 44.1%, respectively. In a typical case showing postmortem formation of CO, the CO levels in body cavity fluids were higher than that in blood. It is suggested that CO in a putrefied body is due to CO in blood prior to death and the CO formed by the decomposition of Hb, myoglobin and other substances during putrefaction. The significance of HbCO levels in body cavity fluids of cases with marked postmortem decomposition seems difficult to interpret without the value of HbCO in blood.     

Lethal poisoning with carbon monoxide in children

Expert evaluations of 39 cases with lethal poisoning of children with carbon monoxide are analyzed. Epidemiological data are presented. Mechanism of toxic effect of carbon monoxide is discussed. Pathomorphological data and forensic chemical findings are analyzed.     

Suicide by a power drill

This is the report of a 62-year-old man who committed suicide by drilling through his anterior chest wall with an electric power drill. Death was caused by pericardial tamponade combined with bleeding into the pleural cavity. The skin lesion at the left hemithorax was similar to a bullet entrance wound.     

Suicide by a circular saw

The case of a suicide of a 32-year-old female using an electric circular saw is herein described. The decedent was suffering from depression and was found dead in her room. Beside her right hand was lying a circular saw, which was not running. The autopsy revealed a large gaping wound measuring 15.5 cm in length on the right side of her neck. The right external carotid artery, the right internal jugular vein, and the right internal carotid artery were cut and the injury reached to the cervical vertebra. Therefore, the cause of death was exsanguination. An individual who commits suicide with an electric saw, such as a chain saw, band saw, and circular saw is rare; in particular females rarely select this method as the means of suicide. However, we herein report the case of a female patient with a psychiatric disease who successfully committed suicide with a circular saw.     

Death scene evaluation in a case of fatal accidental carbon monoxide toxicity

Exposure of humans to high concentrations of carbon monoxide can result in death, due to the formation of carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb), which impairs the oxygen carrying capacity of the haemoglobin. Carbon monoxide is responsible of a great number of accidental domestic poisonings and deaths throughout the world, particularly in homes that have faulty or poorly vented combustion appliances. A case is reported, in which a 21-year-old woman was found dead, due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas water heater, despite the puzzling evidence that the heater has been used for more than 10 years without any problem. An evaluation of the exposure to CO was performed, by measuiring the rate of production of CO from the heater, and using the Coburn-Forster-Kane equation to describe the kinetics of the poisoning process. The death was attributed to an accidental poisoning from carbon monoxide due to a sum of unfortunate circumstances.     

住宅建筑的防火设计分析

本文对住宅建筑中住宅类型的准确理解进行了论述,指出了公寓式住宅(办公)和商业服务网点中防火设计以及住宅建筑中消防电梯的设计存在的问题,并针对这些问题提出了设计意见.