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Citation |
Deroux SJ, Dunn WA. J. Forensic Sci. 2016; 62(3): 695-699. |
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Affiliation |
Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, 520 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2016, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
27921290 |
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Abstract |
"Bath salts" are synthetic derivatives of cathinones, compounds found in the leaves of Catha edulis, which possesses amphetamine-like properties. At the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, we conducted a 3-year retrospective analysis of deaths in which cathinones were detected. Two categories emerged; those in which cathinones were a contributory cause of death (15 cases) and those in which they were an incidental finding (15 cases). Of the former group, 13 were associated with additional intoxicants; two deaths were attributed solely to cathinone intoxication, both survived 10 h: a man whose postmortem blood methylone concentration was 0.71 mg/L and a woman whose postmortem blood ethylone concentration was 1.7 mg/L. In the latter category, there were several individuals who had higher concentrations of cathinones than the above two, the highest being a blood methylone of 4.8 mg/L. Based upon our data and the literature presented, lethal concentrations of cathinones cannot be established. Language: en |