ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 3

Postmortem Determination of the Biological Distribution of Formic Acid in Methanol Intoxication
Tanaka, E
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba,

Horiguchi, H
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba,

Honda, K
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba,

Misawa, S
Assistant professor, lecturers, and professor, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba,

(Received 25 June 1990; accepted 5 September 1990)

Abstract

Two 25-year-old men were fatally intoxicated with methanol. The formic acid levels in their blood, urine, and organs were determined postmortem by headspace gas chromatography. The postmortem concentrations of formic acid in the two patients were the following: 0.32 and 0.23 mg/mL in blood, 2.27 and 0.47 mg/mL in urine, 0.11 and 1.17 mg/g in the brain, 0.54 and 0.51 mg/g in the liver, and 0.13 and 1.19 mg/g in the kidneys. The total amounts of formic acid in the gastric contents were 108 and 23.2 mg.

Keywords:
toxicology, methanol, chromatographic analysis, gas chromatography, formic acid, biological distribution

Paper ID: JFS13107J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13107J
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