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Assessment of postmortem blood alcohol concentrations by ethanol levels measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters
Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57–63
Assessment of postmortem blood alcohol concentrations by ethanol levels measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters Wolfgang Grellner*, Rolf Iffland Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Cologne, Melatenguertel 60 -62, D-50823 Cologne, Germany Received 24 February 1997; received in revised form 15 July 1997; accepted 29 July 1997
Abstract It was the aim of the present study to investigate whether the postmortem blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can be assessed by means of ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters. Fluids from one or two putrefactive blisters were collected in 45 putrefied corpses (postmortem interval: 3–23 days, graduation of the degree of decomposition into four stages) and compared with femoral vein blood or femoral muscle. Ethanol and so-called putrefactive alcohols were determined in all samples by double GC-measurements. The results were converted to the medium water content of blood of 80%. The investigations revealed a significant correlation between the ethanol values of femoral blood / muscle and putrefactive blister fluid (PBF) (r50.725, P,0.001). With the exception of one case, PBF values of 0.11% or more (n511) corresponded to minimum blood / muscle concentrations of 0.085%; PBF values of more than 0.15% (n58) corresponded to blood / muscle levels of at least 0.159%. Regression analysis revealed the formula BAC (in %)50.7853ethanol (PBF) 10.011. Relevant concentrations of putrefactive alcohols such as 1- and 2-propanol and 1-butanol only occurred in cases with far advanced decomposition. Ethanol levels determined in fluids from different putrefactive blisters of the same body also demonstrated a significant correlation (r50.791, P,0.001). Ethanol concentrations determined in PBF must be judged with caution, but PBF values .0.15% point to corresponding blood levels with a high degree of probability, at least where advanced putrefaction is excluded. 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Keywords: Blood alcohol concentration (BAC); Alcohol; Ethanol; Corpses; Fluid from putrefactive blisters; Putrefaction
*Corresponding author. 0379-0738 / 97 / $17.00 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII S0379-0738( 97 )00145-X
58
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
1. Introduction In one particular case of death we had to give an expert opinion on the question as to whether ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters can be correlated with postmortem blood alcohol concentrations. A physician who had to collect femoral vein blood from a corpse with slight signs of putrefaction could only take some fluid from a superficial putrefactive blister for ethanol analysis (result: 0.297% ethanol). Despite extensive literature data on alcohol determination postmortem and in the presence of putrefaction [1–19] data on this special problem are missing. Therefore, we performed an investigation in order to elucidate the relationship of ethanol levels between postmortem blood and putrefactive blister fluid (PBF).
2. Materials and methods The study comprised 45 putrefied bodies (29 males, 16 females) with presumable postmortem intervals between 3 and 23 days (average: 8.9 days) and different signs of decomposition. According to Weiler and Reh [18] the degree of putrefaction was classified into four stages including greenish discoloration and marbling of the skin (I) (n54), moderate (II) (n514) and marked (III) (n520) epidermal peeling and bloating due to gas formation, respectively, and, finally, advanced putrefaction with infestation by maggots (IV) (n57). Fluids from one (in all cases) or two (in 22 cases) putrefactive blisters were collected. Femoral vein blood or femoral muscle as a substitute for blood served as controls. In all samples, ethanol and so-called putrefactive alcohols were measured in a double assay by head-space gas chromatography. In addition, the water content was determined by drying blood / muscle or PBF at 1308C to constant weight. In cases with no blood available, the blood alcohol concentration was derived from the ethanol levels measured in tissue fluid of femoral muscle according to a method developed in our institute [19]. All concentrations were converted to the medium water content of blood of 80% [2]. Statistical analysis was performed by linear regression.
3. Results The essential results are summarized in Figs. 1 and 2 and Tables 1 and 2. The term ‘‘PBF’’ in Fig. 1 includes the average ethanol values in those 22 cases where two putrefactive blisters were investigated. No significant differences in comparison with individual analysis were observed. The correlation between ethanol values of PBF and blood was statistically significant (Fig. 1 and Table 1). A comparison of ethanol levels determined in fluids from different putrefactive blisters of the same corpse designated as PBF 1 and PBF 2 (Fig. 2) also demonstrated a significant correlation. The results were independent of the anatomic localisation of the
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
59
Fig. 1. Ethanol concentrations in fluids from putrefactive blisters (PBF) and postmortem blood (n545).
putrefactive blisters. It made no difference in the calculation of correlations whether each single putrefactive blister or the average values were considered in cases with double collection (Table 1). Linear regression revealed the following formula for the calculation of postmortem BAC: BAC (in %)50.7853ethanol (PBF)10.011.
Fig. 2. Ethanol concentrations in two putrefactive blisters of the same body (PBF 2 and PBF 1 ) (n522).
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
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Table 1 Summary of correlation coefficients Value 1 ] Ethanol PBF Ethanol PBF 1 Ethanol PBF 2 Ethanol PBF 1
Value 2
Coefficient of correlation
Significance level
Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol PBF 2
r50.725
P,0.001
r50.731
P,0.001
r50.636
P,0.01
r50.791
P,0.001
Table 2 elucidates the relation between the degree of body putrefaction and the ethanol content of putrefactive blisters. The mean ethanol values in PBF markedly deviated from average blood values only with advanced decomposition. Differences in single cases occurred within the range mentioned previously (negative signs point to smaller PBF values). A slight tendency to higher PBF ethanol values was only observed in group IV – cases with advanced body putrefaction. One case / outlier with ethanol concentrations of 0.216% in PBF and only 0.026% in blood also belonged to this subgroup. Similarly, relevant concentrations of putrefactive alcohols such as 1- and 2-propanol and 1-butanol merely occurred in cases with far advanced decomposition.
4. Discussion Literature reports on postmortem ethanol investigations include the analysis of blood [2,6,9–13,19], urine [9–13], bile [8,9,11,12], vitreous humour [5,7,9–13,16], cerebrospinal fluid [6,7,11,12], synovial fluid [11–13], and various organs such as liver, muscle, Table 2 Relation between the degree of putrefaction and the ethanol levels Degree of putrefaction
Number of cases
Mean ethanol values PBF
Ethanol difference PBF-blood/muscle
Postmortem interval
Putrefactive alcohols (1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol) not significant #0.002% 1-butanol blood #0.028% #0.056% 1-butanol PBF #0.152% #0.032% 1-butanol PBF #0.158%
Blood/muscle Average
Maximum
I II
4 14
0.013% 0.068%
0.020% 0.069%
20.007% 20.001%
20.027% 20.069%
3–13 d 3–16 d
III
20
0.050%
0.055%
20.005%
20.092%
3–22 d
IV
7
0.098%
0.062%
10.036%
10.190%
6–23 d
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and others [3,4,11,12,17,19]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on the relationship between the ethanol concentrations of postmortem blood and fluid from putrefactive blisters. Naturally, this is an uncommon issue. Nevertheless, it may play a role in medicolegal practice as demonstrated by our case. Our investigations revealed a statistically significant correlation between the ethanol concentrations measured in femoral vein blood and fluids from putrefactive blisters. This result seems logical, since alcohol is very well soluble in water and is equally distributed in all body compartments analogous to the respective water content. Fluid from putrefactive blisters is nothing else than transuded body water or serum. When analysing the data, one has of course to take into consideration that a great number of cases (51%) revealed values of less than 0.02% which must be regarded as products of decomposition. The intermediate part of the straight line in Fig. 1 (PBF values between 0.05% and 0.15%) has not yet been sufficiently confirmed by appropriate case material so far. Nevertheless, the following can be stated: In 24 out of 45 cases, the PBF levels showed differences from blood values of less than 1 / 10. This would correspond to the German guidelines for BAC determinations. In the other cases, either the ethanol content in putrefactive blister fluid was smaller than in blood (n59), or the PBF values were under 0.05%, or the differences amounted to a maximum of 3 / 10 (apart from the outlier mentioned). 4 cases revealed negative ethanol concentrations in PBF (,0.001%). PBF values of 0.11% or more (n511) corresponded to minimum blood / muscle concentrations of 0.085%; PBF values of more than 0.15% (n58) had corresponding blood / muscle levels of at least 0.159%. Greater variability occurred in those cases with far advanced body putrefaction (subgroup IV). The outlier mentioned above also belonged to this category. The corpse exhibited the longest postmortem interval of 23 days and signs of mould formation, which may explain the falsification. Evaluating our results, it must be emphasized that the relatively small number of cases investigated, in particular cases with really high ethanol values, demands reserved statements. Further analysis of regression resulted in the formula BAC %50.7853PBF ethanol10.011. The utilization of this formula is illustrated in Table 3 for those cases
Table 3 Cases where PBF ethanol is .0.15% (without outlier mentioned above) PBF ethanol %
Calculated BAC % a
Femoral or muscle ethanol %
% difference b
0.168 0.179 0.186 0.186 0.218 0.277 0.277
0.143 0.152 0.157 0.157 0.182 0.228 0.228
0.164 0.167 0.159 0.190 0.195 0.222 0.251
14.7 9.9 1.3 21.0 7.1 2.6 10.1
a b
Using formula: BAC %50.7853PBF ethanol10.011. % difference between calculated and experimental BAC.
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W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
where PBF ethanol is .0.15%. The formula provides a suitable tool for an estimation of real values. However, BAC calculation from PBF levels should be regarded with caution. Due to the variability observed in this study, ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters cannot be used for an exact calculation of the postmortem BAC with the certainty required in criminal law. Nevertheless, with a high degree of probability ethanol values in PBF .0.15% point to corresponding blood values, at least where advanced putrefaction is excluded. The problem of real alcoholisation versus putrefactive alcohol production is not affected by the present investigation and naturally continues to exist [1,9,14,15,17,18].
Acknowledgements The authors are very grateful to Prof. Dr. G. Berghaus for support in statistical analysis and to Petra Balling and Heike Schilbach for their excellent technical assistance.
References [1] M.A. Clark, J.W. Jones, Studies on putrefactive ethanol production. I: Lack of spontaneous ethanol production in intact human bodies, J. Forensic Sci. 27 (1982) 366–371. [2] S. Felby, E. Nielsen, The postmortem blood alcohol concentration and the water content, Blutalkohol 31 (1994) 24–32. [3] A.J. Jenkins, B.S. Levine, J.E. Smialek, Distribution of ethanol in postmortem liver, J. Forensic Sci. 40 (1995) 611–613. [4] W. Krauland, E. Klug, P. Toffel, Zur Bestimmung der Alkoholkonzentration in Leichenorganen, Blutalkohol 16 (1979) 290–299. [5] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, B. Spiegelhalder, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen I. Die ¨ ¨ Alkoholkonzentrationen im Blut und in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 1–10. [6] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, B. Spiegelhalder, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen II. Die Alkoholkonzentrationen im Blut und Liquor cerebrospinalis, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 11–17. [7] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen III. Die Alkoholkonzentrationen ¨ ¨ im Liquor cerebrospinalis und in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 115–124. ¨ [8] G. Weiler, A. Kloppel, Zum Aussagewert der Alkoholbestimmung in der Galle, Blutalkohol 14 (1977) 100–105. [9] M.G.F. Gilliland, R.O. Bost, Alcohol in decomposed bodies: postmortem synthesis and distribution, J. Forensic Sci. 38 (1993) 1266–1274. ¨ ¨ ¨ [10] R. Heumann, O. Pribilla, Uber die Beziehung des Alkoholgehalts in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, im Blutserum und im Harn bei Leichen, Blutalkohol 7 (1970) 463–469. ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ [11] B. Kuhnholz, N. Bilzer, Athanolund Wassergehaltsbestimmungen an Organen und Korperflussigkeiten von Leichen, Blutalkohol 16 (1979) 481–492. ¨ ¨ [12] B. Kuhnholz, N. Bilzer, Weitere Erfahrungen mit postmortalen Athanolund Wassergehaltsbestimmungen ¨ ¨ an Organen und Korperflussigkeiten von Leichen, Blutalkohol 18 (1981) 120–130. [13] I. Audrlicky, O. Pribilla, Vergleichende Untersuchung der Alkoholkonzentration im Blut, der Glas¨ ¨ ¨ korperflussigkeit, der Synovialflussigkeit und im Harn, Blutalkohol 8 (1971) 116–121. [14] D. Mebs, K. Schmidt, J. Gerchow, Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur postmortalen Alkoholbildung, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 145–150. [15] D. Mebs, M. May, Weitere Studien zur postmortalen Alkoholbildung, Blutalkohol 17 (1980) 207–213. [16] G. Norheim, Postmortem alcohol in vitreous humour, Blutalkohol 9 (1972) 187–191.
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63
[17] F. Trela, M. Bogusz, Usefulness of ethanol determination in perilymph and skeletal muscle in the case of advanced putrefaction of the body, Blutalkohol 17 (1980) 198–206. ¨ [18] G. Weiler, H. Reh, Der Beweiswert gaschromatographischer Blutalkoholbestimmungen bei Leichenfaulnis, Blutalkohol 11 (1974) 402–408. [19] R. Iffland, M. Staak, Zur Bestimmung und Bewertung des Alkoholgehaltes in der Oberschenkelmuskulatur, Blutalkohol 23 (1986) 15–27.
Assessment of postmortem blood alcohol concentrations by ethanol levels measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters Wolfgang Grellner*, Rolf Iffland Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Cologne, Melatenguertel 60 -62, D-50823 Cologne, Germany Received 24 February 1997; received in revised form 15 July 1997; accepted 29 July 1997
Abstract It was the aim of the present study to investigate whether the postmortem blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can be assessed by means of ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters. Fluids from one or two putrefactive blisters were collected in 45 putrefied corpses (postmortem interval: 3–23 days, graduation of the degree of decomposition into four stages) and compared with femoral vein blood or femoral muscle. Ethanol and so-called putrefactive alcohols were determined in all samples by double GC-measurements. The results were converted to the medium water content of blood of 80%. The investigations revealed a significant correlation between the ethanol values of femoral blood / muscle and putrefactive blister fluid (PBF) (r50.725, P,0.001). With the exception of one case, PBF values of 0.11% or more (n511) corresponded to minimum blood / muscle concentrations of 0.085%; PBF values of more than 0.15% (n58) corresponded to blood / muscle levels of at least 0.159%. Regression analysis revealed the formula BAC (in %)50.7853ethanol (PBF) 10.011. Relevant concentrations of putrefactive alcohols such as 1- and 2-propanol and 1-butanol only occurred in cases with far advanced decomposition. Ethanol levels determined in fluids from different putrefactive blisters of the same body also demonstrated a significant correlation (r50.791, P,0.001). Ethanol concentrations determined in PBF must be judged with caution, but PBF values .0.15% point to corresponding blood levels with a high degree of probability, at least where advanced putrefaction is excluded. 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Keywords: Blood alcohol concentration (BAC); Alcohol; Ethanol; Corpses; Fluid from putrefactive blisters; Putrefaction
*Corresponding author. 0379-0738 / 97 / $17.00 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII S0379-0738( 97 )00145-X
58
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
1. Introduction In one particular case of death we had to give an expert opinion on the question as to whether ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters can be correlated with postmortem blood alcohol concentrations. A physician who had to collect femoral vein blood from a corpse with slight signs of putrefaction could only take some fluid from a superficial putrefactive blister for ethanol analysis (result: 0.297% ethanol). Despite extensive literature data on alcohol determination postmortem and in the presence of putrefaction [1–19] data on this special problem are missing. Therefore, we performed an investigation in order to elucidate the relationship of ethanol levels between postmortem blood and putrefactive blister fluid (PBF).
2. Materials and methods The study comprised 45 putrefied bodies (29 males, 16 females) with presumable postmortem intervals between 3 and 23 days (average: 8.9 days) and different signs of decomposition. According to Weiler and Reh [18] the degree of putrefaction was classified into four stages including greenish discoloration and marbling of the skin (I) (n54), moderate (II) (n514) and marked (III) (n520) epidermal peeling and bloating due to gas formation, respectively, and, finally, advanced putrefaction with infestation by maggots (IV) (n57). Fluids from one (in all cases) or two (in 22 cases) putrefactive blisters were collected. Femoral vein blood or femoral muscle as a substitute for blood served as controls. In all samples, ethanol and so-called putrefactive alcohols were measured in a double assay by head-space gas chromatography. In addition, the water content was determined by drying blood / muscle or PBF at 1308C to constant weight. In cases with no blood available, the blood alcohol concentration was derived from the ethanol levels measured in tissue fluid of femoral muscle according to a method developed in our institute [19]. All concentrations were converted to the medium water content of blood of 80% [2]. Statistical analysis was performed by linear regression.
3. Results The essential results are summarized in Figs. 1 and 2 and Tables 1 and 2. The term ‘‘PBF’’ in Fig. 1 includes the average ethanol values in those 22 cases where two putrefactive blisters were investigated. No significant differences in comparison with individual analysis were observed. The correlation between ethanol values of PBF and blood was statistically significant (Fig. 1 and Table 1). A comparison of ethanol levels determined in fluids from different putrefactive blisters of the same corpse designated as PBF 1 and PBF 2 (Fig. 2) also demonstrated a significant correlation. The results were independent of the anatomic localisation of the
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59
Fig. 1. Ethanol concentrations in fluids from putrefactive blisters (PBF) and postmortem blood (n545).
putrefactive blisters. It made no difference in the calculation of correlations whether each single putrefactive blister or the average values were considered in cases with double collection (Table 1). Linear regression revealed the following formula for the calculation of postmortem BAC: BAC (in %)50.7853ethanol (PBF)10.011.
Fig. 2. Ethanol concentrations in two putrefactive blisters of the same body (PBF 2 and PBF 1 ) (n522).
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
60
Table 1 Summary of correlation coefficients Value 1 ] Ethanol PBF Ethanol PBF 1 Ethanol PBF 2 Ethanol PBF 1
Value 2
Coefficient of correlation
Significance level
Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol blood / muscle Ethanol PBF 2
r50.725
P,0.001
r50.731
P,0.001
r50.636
P,0.01
r50.791
P,0.001
Table 2 elucidates the relation between the degree of body putrefaction and the ethanol content of putrefactive blisters. The mean ethanol values in PBF markedly deviated from average blood values only with advanced decomposition. Differences in single cases occurred within the range mentioned previously (negative signs point to smaller PBF values). A slight tendency to higher PBF ethanol values was only observed in group IV – cases with advanced body putrefaction. One case / outlier with ethanol concentrations of 0.216% in PBF and only 0.026% in blood also belonged to this subgroup. Similarly, relevant concentrations of putrefactive alcohols such as 1- and 2-propanol and 1-butanol merely occurred in cases with far advanced decomposition.
4. Discussion Literature reports on postmortem ethanol investigations include the analysis of blood [2,6,9–13,19], urine [9–13], bile [8,9,11,12], vitreous humour [5,7,9–13,16], cerebrospinal fluid [6,7,11,12], synovial fluid [11–13], and various organs such as liver, muscle, Table 2 Relation between the degree of putrefaction and the ethanol levels Degree of putrefaction
Number of cases
Mean ethanol values PBF
Ethanol difference PBF-blood/muscle
Postmortem interval
Putrefactive alcohols (1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol) not significant #0.002% 1-butanol blood #0.028% #0.056% 1-butanol PBF #0.152% #0.032% 1-butanol PBF #0.158%
Blood/muscle Average
Maximum
I II
4 14
0.013% 0.068%
0.020% 0.069%
20.007% 20.001%
20.027% 20.069%
3–13 d 3–16 d
III
20
0.050%
0.055%
20.005%
20.092%
3–22 d
IV
7
0.098%
0.062%
10.036%
10.190%
6–23 d
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
61
and others [3,4,11,12,17,19]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on the relationship between the ethanol concentrations of postmortem blood and fluid from putrefactive blisters. Naturally, this is an uncommon issue. Nevertheless, it may play a role in medicolegal practice as demonstrated by our case. Our investigations revealed a statistically significant correlation between the ethanol concentrations measured in femoral vein blood and fluids from putrefactive blisters. This result seems logical, since alcohol is very well soluble in water and is equally distributed in all body compartments analogous to the respective water content. Fluid from putrefactive blisters is nothing else than transuded body water or serum. When analysing the data, one has of course to take into consideration that a great number of cases (51%) revealed values of less than 0.02% which must be regarded as products of decomposition. The intermediate part of the straight line in Fig. 1 (PBF values between 0.05% and 0.15%) has not yet been sufficiently confirmed by appropriate case material so far. Nevertheless, the following can be stated: In 24 out of 45 cases, the PBF levels showed differences from blood values of less than 1 / 10. This would correspond to the German guidelines for BAC determinations. In the other cases, either the ethanol content in putrefactive blister fluid was smaller than in blood (n59), or the PBF values were under 0.05%, or the differences amounted to a maximum of 3 / 10 (apart from the outlier mentioned). 4 cases revealed negative ethanol concentrations in PBF (,0.001%). PBF values of 0.11% or more (n511) corresponded to minimum blood / muscle concentrations of 0.085%; PBF values of more than 0.15% (n58) had corresponding blood / muscle levels of at least 0.159%. Greater variability occurred in those cases with far advanced body putrefaction (subgroup IV). The outlier mentioned above also belonged to this category. The corpse exhibited the longest postmortem interval of 23 days and signs of mould formation, which may explain the falsification. Evaluating our results, it must be emphasized that the relatively small number of cases investigated, in particular cases with really high ethanol values, demands reserved statements. Further analysis of regression resulted in the formula BAC %50.7853PBF ethanol10.011. The utilization of this formula is illustrated in Table 3 for those cases
Table 3 Cases where PBF ethanol is .0.15% (without outlier mentioned above) PBF ethanol %
Calculated BAC % a
Femoral or muscle ethanol %
% difference b
0.168 0.179 0.186 0.186 0.218 0.277 0.277
0.143 0.152 0.157 0.157 0.182 0.228 0.228
0.164 0.167 0.159 0.190 0.195 0.222 0.251
14.7 9.9 1.3 21.0 7.1 2.6 10.1
a b
Using formula: BAC %50.7853PBF ethanol10.011. % difference between calculated and experimental BAC.
62
W. Grellner, R. Iffland / Forensic Science International 90 (1997) 57 – 63
where PBF ethanol is .0.15%. The formula provides a suitable tool for an estimation of real values. However, BAC calculation from PBF levels should be regarded with caution. Due to the variability observed in this study, ethanol values measured in fluids from putrefactive blisters cannot be used for an exact calculation of the postmortem BAC with the certainty required in criminal law. Nevertheless, with a high degree of probability ethanol values in PBF .0.15% point to corresponding blood values, at least where advanced putrefaction is excluded. The problem of real alcoholisation versus putrefactive alcohol production is not affected by the present investigation and naturally continues to exist [1,9,14,15,17,18].
Acknowledgements The authors are very grateful to Prof. Dr. G. Berghaus for support in statistical analysis and to Petra Balling and Heike Schilbach for their excellent technical assistance.
References [1] M.A. Clark, J.W. Jones, Studies on putrefactive ethanol production. I: Lack of spontaneous ethanol production in intact human bodies, J. Forensic Sci. 27 (1982) 366–371. [2] S. Felby, E. Nielsen, The postmortem blood alcohol concentration and the water content, Blutalkohol 31 (1994) 24–32. [3] A.J. Jenkins, B.S. Levine, J.E. Smialek, Distribution of ethanol in postmortem liver, J. Forensic Sci. 40 (1995) 611–613. [4] W. Krauland, E. Klug, P. Toffel, Zur Bestimmung der Alkoholkonzentration in Leichenorganen, Blutalkohol 16 (1979) 290–299. [5] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, B. Spiegelhalder, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen I. Die ¨ ¨ Alkoholkonzentrationen im Blut und in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 1–10. [6] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, B. Spiegelhalder, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen II. Die Alkoholkonzentrationen im Blut und Liquor cerebrospinalis, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 11–17. [7] H.-P. Gelbke, P. Lesch, G. Schmidt, Postmortale Alkoholkonzentrationen III. Die Alkoholkonzentrationen ¨ ¨ im Liquor cerebrospinalis und in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 115–124. ¨ [8] G. Weiler, A. Kloppel, Zum Aussagewert der Alkoholbestimmung in der Galle, Blutalkohol 14 (1977) 100–105. [9] M.G.F. Gilliland, R.O. Bost, Alcohol in decomposed bodies: postmortem synthesis and distribution, J. Forensic Sci. 38 (1993) 1266–1274. ¨ ¨ ¨ [10] R. Heumann, O. Pribilla, Uber die Beziehung des Alkoholgehalts in der Glaskorperflussigkeit, im Blutserum und im Harn bei Leichen, Blutalkohol 7 (1970) 463–469. ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ [11] B. Kuhnholz, N. Bilzer, Athanolund Wassergehaltsbestimmungen an Organen und Korperflussigkeiten von Leichen, Blutalkohol 16 (1979) 481–492. ¨ ¨ [12] B. Kuhnholz, N. Bilzer, Weitere Erfahrungen mit postmortalen Athanolund Wassergehaltsbestimmungen ¨ ¨ an Organen und Korperflussigkeiten von Leichen, Blutalkohol 18 (1981) 120–130. [13] I. Audrlicky, O. Pribilla, Vergleichende Untersuchung der Alkoholkonzentration im Blut, der Glas¨ ¨ ¨ korperflussigkeit, der Synovialflussigkeit und im Harn, Blutalkohol 8 (1971) 116–121. [14] D. Mebs, K. Schmidt, J. Gerchow, Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur postmortalen Alkoholbildung, Blutalkohol 15 (1978) 145–150. [15] D. Mebs, M. May, Weitere Studien zur postmortalen Alkoholbildung, Blutalkohol 17 (1980) 207–213. [16] G. Norheim, Postmortem alcohol in vitreous humour, Blutalkohol 9 (1972) 187–191.
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63
[17] F. Trela, M. Bogusz, Usefulness of ethanol determination in perilymph and skeletal muscle in the case of advanced putrefaction of the body, Blutalkohol 17 (1980) 198–206. ¨ [18] G. Weiler, H. Reh, Der Beweiswert gaschromatographischer Blutalkoholbestimmungen bei Leichenfaulnis, Blutalkohol 11 (1974) 402–408. [19] R. Iffland, M. Staak, Zur Bestimmung und Bewertung des Alkoholgehaltes in der Oberschenkelmuskulatur, Blutalkohol 23 (1986) 15–27.