Detection of toluene in a body buried for years with a fatal cardiac contusion

A practical review of adipocere: Key findings, case studies and operational considerations from crime scene to autopsy

“…95 found a heart preserved by adipocere within the same Spanish Civil War mass grave as described above. Furthermore, a burial of 6 years resulted in the conversion of the brain and heart along with subcutaneous tissue 96 .…”

Medico-Legal Issues in Cremation: Comparative Analysis of International Legislation

“…As a matter of fact, the practice of exhumation is often involved in forensic cases as it can be a great source of essential information [ 46 , 47 ] regarding the presence of macroscopic bone lesions and/or signs of violent death [ 48 ], as well as a valid substrate for toxicological [ 49 , 50 , 51 ] and genetic exams [ 52 , 53 ], even after significant time from death.…”

Organic solvent-induced changes in membrane geometry in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells – a common narcotic effect?

“…Two case studies, containing compiled available data on toluene concentrations during acute intoxication, report brain concentrations between 189 mM and 755 mM. In fatal cases, postmortem brain concentrations ranged up to 5.6 mM (Yajima et al, 2005;Tanaka et al, 2016). As outlined in the introduction, specific neurotoxic effects, which may be observed on subchronic or chronic and often low-level exposure to solvents, more likely involves interactions of solvents or of their biotransformation products with specific targets in the nervous system.…”