TITLE:
A Case and Review of Death Associated with Ingestion of Detergent
AUTHORS:
Satoshi Furukawa, Satomu Morita, Katsuji Nishi, Masahito Hitosugi
KEYWORDS:
Liquid Detergent, Suicidal Ingestion, Surfactant, Corrosive Change, Autopsy
JOURNAL NAME:
Forensic Medicine and Anatomy Research,
Vol.2 No.4,
September
23,
2014
ABSTRACT: We experienced an autopsy case of a death associated with ingestion of liquid detergent. The deceased was an 82-year-old woman who was found dead in her bed room. Autopsy revealed corrosive changes of the mucosal surfaces of the lung. The larynx, trachea and stomach contained mucoid matter with abundant froth. Toxicological investigations detected polyethylene glycol in the bronchus, blood and gastric contents using headspace-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Surfactants generally have low toxicity but can cause damage to the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. We report here an autopsy case of death by suicidal ingestion of liquid detergent with special regard to the histochemical findings of the case study.