n-Butanol in blood as the indicator of how long a dead body lay in water.
n-Butanol appears in large quantities in the blood of a drowned person and a correlation exists between its quantity (concentration) and the time the body lay in water. This correlation depends on the temperature of the water but not on whether it is fresh or salt water. The time of death can be fixed within the span of 0-26 days after the event, as we have found out in our research (no longer period has been examined).
Gubala
W
W
Institute of Forensic Research, Cracow, Poland.
D020001:1-Butanol; D000440:Butanols / Q000097:blood*; D004332:Drowning / Q000097:blood*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors
D000440:Butanols; D020001:1-Butanol