Sulfuric Acid Injury

Abstract

Injuries and deaths from exposure to caustic substances are infrequently reported in the forensic pathology literature. Strong acids like sulfuric acid produce a predictable set of injuries with cutaneous exposure and ingestion. Multiple factors influence the resultant pathology, but from the perspective of the autopsy pathologist, the most important is the length of postingestion survival. We report the case of a young man whose desire to 'clean his honor' was manifested through the consumption of a large quantity of sulfuric acid drain cleaner. Although a myriad of physical findings were present at autopsy, the majority of these most likely represented the postmortem action of sulfuric acid on tissues.

Epidemiology of burn injuries: Highlighting cultural and socio-demographic aspects

“…Common agents include nitric and sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide, which are cheap and readily available (Flammiger & Maibach, 2006;Gaspar-Sobrinho, Sampaio, & Lessa, 2007;Matshes, Taylor, & Rao, 2008;Suresh et al, 2008). In Tanzania a survey of healthcare providers indicated that 10.6% of accidents were burn injuries from chemicals (Manyele, Nqonyani, & Eliakimu, 2008).…”

Color Change of Sudan III against Concentrated Sulfuric Acid in Acetonitrile and Quantification for a Small Amount of Concentrated Sulfuric Acid

“…On the other hand, concentrated sulfuric acid is an extremely hazardous chemical, and it sometimes causes fatal injuries. 5 In the criminal fields, it is abused in some assaults, 5 clandestine methamphetamine manufacture 6 or in the production of counterfeit gas oils in Japan. 7,8 Although the titration method has been generally utilized for the quantification of concentrated sulfuric acid, it is not suited to high-throughput analyses because it is time-consuming and requires a special technique and apparatus.…”

Death of a toddler due to ingestion of sulfuric acid at a clandestine home methamphetamine laboratory

“…Ingested acids typically cause more significant damage by means of coagulative necrosis to glandular mucosa of the stomach than to the more resistant non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium of the esophagus [14]. For this reason, gastric perforation is more likely to occur; however, injury can be reduced by the presence of food in the stomach, which dilutes the acid [6]. With survival after the acute exposure, long-term effects include esophageal and pyloric strictures that may require esophageal dilatation and surgical treatment [15,16].…”

“…Alkalis react with fat to form soaps, allowing deeper tissue damage because no eschar forms [6]. Gastric acid neutralizes alkalis to some degree, but the esophagus, with a slightly alkaline pH, is more susceptible to damage [14].…”

“…In general, chemicals can be classified into oxidizers (bleach, peroxide), reducing agents (sulfite compounds), corrosives (sulfuric and hydrochloric acids), desiccants (silica gel), vesicants (nitrogen mustard), and protoplasmic poisons (hydrazoic acid) [6]. Acids such as sulfuric acid have several common patterns of injury including cutaneous burns, ocular burns, and inhalation and ingestion injuries to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts [7][8][9][10].…”