title: Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) detected in abnormally high concentrations in postmortem blood and urine from two persons found dead inside a car containing a gasoline spill.
abstract: Two deep frozen persons, a female and a male, were found dead in a car. There had been an explosive fire inside the car which had extinguished itself. On the floor inside the car were large pools of liquid which smelled of gasoline. The autopsy findings and routine toxicological analyses could not explain the cause of death. Carboxyhemoglobin levels in the blood samples were <10%. Analysis with a headspace gas chromatography revealed methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) concentrations of 185 mg/L (female victim) and 115 mg/L (male victim) in peripheral blood. The urine MTBE concentrations were 150 mg/L and 256 mg/L, respectively. MTBE is a synthetic chemical which is added to gasoline as a fuel oxygenate. Gasoline poisoning is likely to be the cause of the death in these two cases, and MTBE can be a suitable marker of gasoline exposure, when other volatile components have vaporized.
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 6, Oslo, 0456, Norway.
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karinen
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 6, Oslo, 0456, Norway.
authors.forename: Vigdis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vindenes
authors.affiliation: The Gade Institute, University of Bergen, Haukeland universitetssykehus, 5021, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morild
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 6, Oslo, 0456, Norway.
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 6, Oslo, 0456, Norway.
authors.forename: Ilah
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Le Nygaard
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 6, Oslo, 0456, Norway.
authors.forename: Asbjørg S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Christophersen
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning / Q000652:urine*; D001336:Automobiles; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D005742:Gasoline / Q000506:poisoning*; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D053260:Soot; D013405:Suicide
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D005742:Gasoline; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D053260:Soot; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin
keywords: CAS nr. 1634-04-4; MTBE; forensic science; headspace gas chromatography; methyl tert-butyl ether; octane enhancer; reformulated gasoline; toxicology