Sudden death involving inhalation of 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) with spray cleaner: three case reports.
Spray cleaner is a cleaning product containing compressed 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) to blow dust off electric devices and other sensitive equipment; however, it is also inhaled to induce euphoria. This report describes three cases of death involving HFC-152a inhalation with spray cleaner under different circumstances. In case 1, death was during inhalation for euphoria with which led to having frostbite. In case 2, death may have been associated with suicidal intention. Case 3 was also considered an accidental autoerotic death. In all three cases, HFC-152a was detected at 99.2-136.2mg/l in blood samples, 94.5-191.9 mg/l in urine samples and 3.6-18.4 mg in the gastric contents according to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. To prevent death associated with HFC-152a inhalation from spray cleaner, the danger of the sudden death should be announced to people, given the ready availability of commercial products containing HFC-152a.
Sakai
Kentaro
K
Department of Forensic Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan. kentaro.sakai@jikei.ac.jp
Maruyama-Maebashi
Kyoko
K
Takatsu
Akihiro
A
Fukui
Kenji
K
Nagai
Tomonori
T
Aoyagi
Miwako
M
Ochiai
Eriko
E
Iwadate
Kimiharu
K
D000059:Accidents; D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000336:Aerosols / Q000506:poisoning*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004487:Edema / Q000473:pathology; D005410:Flame Ionization; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D005627:Frostbite / Q000139:chemically induced; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D058545:Inhalant Abuse / Q000150:complications; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D012997:Solvents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D013405:Suicide
D000336:Aerosols; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated; D012997:Solvents; C059268:1,1-difluoroethane