Diagnosis of lethal cyanide poisoning. Analysis by <scp>Anion‐Exchange</scp> Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection

Zuccarello, Pietro; Carnazza, Giulia; Raffino, Cataldo; Barbera, Nunziata

doi:10.1111/1556-4029.15046

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Experimental in vitro studies showed that cyanide could be detected up to seven days after death [ 2 ]. Cyanide detection in a decomposed body one year after death has been reported [ 3 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detection of cyanide in experimental conditions and the time intervals are reported [ 2 ]. Cyanide detection in a decomposed body up to one year after death has been reported [ 3 ]. In the present case, hydrogen cyanide has been identified in the postmortem decomposition fluid extracted from the cavities of the interred body approximately three years following burial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection of Cyanide in a Decomposed Exhumed Body: A Case Report

Kuniyil,

Sreenivas C,

Mohan P V

2024

Cureus

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Cyanide is a lethal poison that induces immediate fatality. Infrequently employed as a homicidal poison, it is not an ideal choice for homicide as it causes a ‘dramatic’ death causing suspicion among others. Cyanide is a rapidly metabolized poison that also rapidly disintegrates after death, posing challenges for chemical analysis, particularly when dealing with decomposed bodies. Detection of cyanide from a decomposed body is infrequent. A suspected case of intentional poisoning resulting in death was interred without conducting a postmortem examination. The exhumation process revealed the presence of hydrogen cyanide in the postmortem fluids collected from the body cavities three years after interment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Cyanide in a Decomposed Exhumed Body: A Case Report

Kuniyil,

Sreenivas C,

Mohan P V

2024

Cureus

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Can the cyanide metabolite, 2-aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid, be used for forensic verification of cyanide poisoning?

Alluhayb,

Severance,

Hendry-Hofer

et al. 2024

Forensic Toxicol

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Purpose Forensic verification of cyanide (CN) poisoning by direct CN analysis in postmortem blood is challenging due to instability of CN in biological samples. CN metabolites, thiocyanate (SCN−) and 2-aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (ATCA), have been proposed as more stable biomarkers, yet it is unclear if either is appropriate for this purpose. In this study, we evaluated the behavior of CN biomarkers in postmortem swine and postmortem blood to determine which serves as the best biomarker of CN exposure. Methods CN, SCN−, and ATCA were measured in postmortem swine (N = 8) stored at 4 °C and postmortem blood stored at 25 °C (room temperature, RT) and 37 °C (typical human body temperature, HBT). Results Following CN poisoning, the concentration of each CN biomarker increased well above the baseline. In postmortem swine, CN concentrations declined rapidly (t1/2 = 34.3 h) versus SCN− (t1/2 = 359 h, 15 days) and ATCA (t1/2 = 544 h, 23 days). CN instability in postmortem blood increased at RT (t1/2 = 10.7 h) and HBT (t1/2 = 6.6 h). SCN− and ATCA were more stable than CN at all storage conditions. In postmortem swine, the t1/2s of SCN− and ATCA were 15 and 23 days, respectively. While both the t1/2s of SCN− and ATCA were relatively lengthy, endogenous levels of SCN− were much more variable than ATCA. Conclusion While there are still questions to be answered, ATCA was the most adept forensic marker of CN poisoning (i.e., ATCA produced the longest half-life, the largest increase above baseline levels, and most stable background concentrations).

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