Evaporated liquid nitrogen-induced asphyxia: a case report.
A 27-yr-old postgraduate student was found lying at the floor of an unsealed underground dry area, where a valve-opened empty cylinder of liquid nitrogen (150 L) was connected to a cap-removed empty Dewar-flask (10 L) via a copper infusion tube. No injury was found externally or internally. There were petechiae in the bilateral conjunctivae and periorbital skin. The dry area, measuring 300 x 130 x 260 cm, had a communication to the basement of the research building by a window measuring 90 x 60 cm in size at 130 cm above the floor. The scene reconstruction and atmosphere gas analysis revealed that the O2 concentration at 60 cm above the base dropped to 12.0% in 3 min and 10 sec, 10.0% in 8 min and 53 sec, 6.0% in 18 min and 40 sec, and 4.2% in 20 min and 28 sec. The primary cause of death was asphyxia by evaporated liquid nitrogen.
Kim
Dong Hoon
DH
Department of Pathology, Pohang Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Pohang, Korea. withdhk@naver.com
Lee
Hyung Jong
HJ
D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000328:Adult; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000506:poisoning*
D009584:Nitrogen