title: A fatal case of n-butane poisoning after inhaling anti-perspiration aerosol deodorant.
abstract: We report a case of sudden death due to n-butane poisoning after the inhalation of anti-perspiration aerosol deodorant. The deceased was a 15-year-old boy who was found unresponsive on the road, and was pronounced dead after 1.25h. A spray can of anti-perspiration deodorant and vinyl bags were found in a thicket near the scene. An autopsy revealed pulmonary edema, cerebral edema and congestion of the organs. Using qualitative gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, the existence of n-butane was ascertained. The concentration of n-butane (in microl/ml or microl/g) was estimated to be 15.3 in the blood, 13.3 in the brain, 26.6 in the liver, 7.5 in the lung, and 13.6 in the kidney. These n-butane levels in the blood and in the tissues were higher than those of previous reports of death associated with n-butane inhalation. We concluded that the cause of death was n-butane poisoning and presumed that n-butane in the can of anti-perspiration aerosol deodorant induced fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan. agomiho@m.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mihoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ago
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ago
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogata