Concentrations of mustard gas [bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide] in the tissues of a victim of a vesicant exposure.
An Iranian soldier died at a toxicological intensive care unit at Munich seven days after a vesicant exposure. At the autopsy the typical symptoms of mustard gas intoxication were found. The vesicant was detected qualitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the abdominal fat and quantified in the tissues and in the body fluids by the following method: (1) extraction by dichloromethane, (2) cleanup of the extracts by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on silica plates, (3) extractive derivatization with gold-chloride, and (4) quantitative determination by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS). The equal extracts, after heating, served for blanks. The following concentrations were found (milligrams of mustard gas/kilograms of tissue wet weight): brain 10.7, cerebrospinal fluid 1.9, liver 2.4, kidney 5.6; spleen 1.5, lung 0.8, muscle 3.9, fat 15.1, skin 8.4, skin with subcutaneous fatty tissue 11.8, liquid from a skin blister: below detection limit, blood 1.1, and urine: below detection limit.
Institut für Rechtsmedizin, München, Federal Republic of Germany.
G
G
Drasch
E
E
Kretschmer
G
G
Kauert
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L
von Meyer
D000328:Adult; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D009150:Mustard Compounds / Q000506:poisoning*; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D014857:Warfare
D009150:Mustard Compounds; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D006046:Gold; D009151:Mustard Gas