Journal Published Online: 01 January 1977
Volume 22, Issue 1

Electron Impact Mass Spectrometric Detection of Freon in Biological Specimens

CODEN: JFSCAS

Abstract

Recently the toxicity and abuse of aerosols containing Freon® have been brought to the attention of the public. Unpublished reports by the Drug Abuse Council indicate increased instances of aerosol addiction among the very poor, disenfranchised, and marginal minority groups. Also, deaths related to aerosols have been known for years. Bass [1] described 110 SSDs (Sudden Sniffing Deaths) during the 1960s, 59 of which were Freon-related. Christopoulos and Kirch [2] and Baselt and Cravey [3] demonstrated the presence of trichlorofluoromethane and dichlorodifluoromethane in postmortem specimens of Freon-induced deaths. The above authors used gas chromatographic (GC) techniques employing electron capture and flame ionization detectors (FID), respectively, for the quantitative analyses of these compounds. Standefer [4] also reported FID-GC data on specimens from a death associated with fluorocarbon inhalation.

Author Information

Urich, RW
Toxicology Laboratory, St. Francis Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Wittenberg, PH
Toxicology Laboratory, St. Francis Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Bowerman, DL
Toxicology Laboratory, St. Francis Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Levisky, JA
Toxicology Laboratory, St. Francis Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pflug, JL
Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory (AFSC), United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
Pages: 6
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JFS10365J
ISSN: 0022-1198
DOI: 10.1520/JFS10365J