Significance of skin metallization in the diagnosis of electrocution

A retrospective descriptive study of electrocution deaths in Gauteng, South Africa: 2001–2004

“…It was difficult to determine from the available records how many of the electrocution cases led to civil litigation and the quantum of said litigation. Histology was not performed in all cases [25][26][27][28] and blood toxicology was not performed in all the cases. However, this study did serve to highlight certain points: First, this study served to show that electrocution deaths constitute a serious problem in South Africa: The Texas study showed 185 cases in 30 years [6].…”

Forensic tools for the diagnosis of electrocution death: Case study and literature review

“…When current passes from the metal to the skin, electrolysis occurs and metallic ions are embedded in the skin and subcutaneous tissues, so the metallisation is a characteristic sign of electrocution. 7,8 There are many methods to identify the metallic ions on the skin. Many authors suggest the histological technique using the Timm's method to detect copper which is a sensitive, economical and easily repeatable in every laboratory method.…”

Application of atomic absorption spectroscopy for detection of multimetal traces in low-voltage electrical marks

“…However, the reliability of data obtained by measuring the metal content in electrical marks has always been the key issue under discussion [16,19,21]. Moreover, the electric injury is often followed by skin burns [22,23], which might influence the background metal content.…”

“…Up to now, the study of metal traces in current marks was focused mostly on qualitative characteristics, i.e. on determination of composition of the metal traces [16,17], while quantitative characterization of metal traces deposited into the skin during the electric injury is still scarcely studied [18,19]. Meanwhile, the quantitative study of metals in the electrical injuries could be of essential help for analysis of circumstances of electrical fatalities, especially in cases when multi-elemental composition of the metal traces can be determined.…”