Citation

Chen F, Ye Y, Jin B, Yi B, Wei Q, Liao L. J. Forensic Sci. 2019; 64(3): 941-945.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Toxicological Analysis, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13945

PMID

30452771

Abstract

Paraquat poisoning usually results from suicide, occupational, or accidental exposure. Herein, we report a rare fatal case of homicidal paraquat poisoning. A 58-year-old man was poisoned by taking paraquat-mixed medicine and wearing paraquat-soaked underwear. In the absence of a history of paraquat exposure, the patient was misdiagnosed with pulmonary infection and scrotal dermatitis and died of respiratory failure 24 days after the initial exposure to paraquat. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was applied to detect and quantify paraquat in postmortem specimens. The concentration of paraquat in postmortem specimens from high to low is lung (0.49 μg/g), brain (0.32 μg/g), kidney (0.24 μg/g), liver (0.20 μg/g), cardiac blood (0.11 μg/mL), and stomach wall (
© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

forensic science; forensic toxicology; homicide; paraquat; paraquat distribution; poisoning