title: Death due to a methane gas explosion in a tunnel on urban reclaimed land.
abstract: Studies of four male victims who were killed in an accidental tunnel gas explosion on urban reclaimed land are described. The studies were judicial autopsy examinations to determine the precise causes of death. Two men died of carbon monoxide intoxication, one died of massive brain damage, and the fourth died of drowning. The concentrations of methane in several organs were much lower than the lethal level, whereas those in adipose tissue were relatively high. These findings indicated that a low concentration of methane was almost always present in the atmosphere at the construction site. Recently, coal mine accidents have been decreasing in Japan. However, there is still a possibility of underground explosions or gas leaks in confined spaces other than coal mines. To determine the precise cause of death in such cases, careful autopsies and other examinations should be performed using methods similar to those used in coal mine accidents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takatori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oono
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwase
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwadate
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis; D002423:Cause of Death; D005107:Explosions; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008697:Methane; D008875:Middle Aged; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D008697:Methane