Citation

Solarino B, Rosenbaum F, Rießelmann B, Buschmann CT, Tsokos M. Forensic Sci. Int. 2010; 195(1-3): e19-22.

Affiliation

Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Public Medicine, University of Bari, P.zza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy; Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University Medical Centre Charité, University of Berlin.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.11.003

PMID

19954906

Abstract

Nicotine, a lipid-soluble alkaloid obtained from the dried leaves of Nicotiana, is most frequently encountered in tobacco products for smoking, chewing or sniffing as well as in a limited number of pesticides. Though nicotine is one of the most toxic drugs of abuse, it has rarely led to fatalities. Sudden death can be caused by cardiovascular arrest, respiratory muscle paralysis and/or central respiratory failure. A 42-year-old man was found dead by his wife. He was lying on the floor, next to a box containing many empty bottles of beer and vodka. Some labeled chemical bottles found at the scene contained various substances, including nicotine and brucine. Gross examination of the organs at autopsy revealed no specific findings. The toxicological examination failed to disclose any lethal toxic agents other than a high concentration of nicotine and its primary metabolite cotinine in femoral venous blood (2.2mug/mL). Blood alcohol was determined to be 2.1g/L in femoral venous blood. Only a paucity of fatal cases of nicotine poisoning has been reported in the literature so far.

Language: en