Citation

Karaarslan B, Karapirli M, Kandemır E, Kucuker H, Gurler M, Ince CH, Akyol O. J. Forensic Sci. 2013; 58(6): 1563-1567.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Gaziantep Universitesi Kampus alani, Tip Fak. Dekanligi, Sehitkamil, 27310 Gaziantep, Turkey.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12189

PMID

23865682

Abstract

We aimed to obtain an outline of the nature and number of fatal poisonings which still appear to affect widely the population in Turkey. A total of 5921 forensic autopsies were performed between 2007 and 2011 in Ankara and nearby cities and 366 of them were fatal poisonings (219 male, 147 female). Most of the cases were between 41 and 60 years old (n = 84). Most of the fatalities were reported during winter months (48.1%). Carbon monoxide exposure was the most common reason (66.7%) within all the causes followed by medicine and narcotics (13.9%). Postmortem blood alcohol concentrations in ethyl and methyl alcohol poisonings were 385.1 ± 61.9 and 206.8 ± 138.9 mg/dL, respectively. The most common location of deaths was home (71.3%). Fatal poisonings have been a growing global problem because of some shortcomings about the socioeconomic conditions and increasing illicit drug abuse. The level of education, socioeconomic conditions, and legal approaches are very important for the prevention fatal poisonings.

Language: en