title: Sulphuric acid marketed in water bottle in India: A cause for fatal accidental poisoning in an adult.
abstract: Corrosive acid ingestion is a rare but serious health hazard with fatal complications. Cases of suicidal and accidental acid ingestion have been documented in the scientific literature. Accidental acid poisoning due to a mistaken identity of the bottle containing sulphuric acid is a matter of grave concern especially in a household set-up. We hereby report a fatal case of accidental sulphuric acid ingestion in an adult, who unsuspectingly swallowed about 50 ml of 'toilet-cleaner' at his residence. The bottle containing the acid was recently purchased from a local vendor and placed with water bottles in the kitchen. The autopsy and toxicological findings of this case are discussed in this paper with discussion of medico-legal issues on the sale and use of such corrosive acids in illegal bottles and its subsequent health hazards in India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India drchitta75@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Behera
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Saurav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Aayushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004326:Drinking; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013464:Sulfuric Acids / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D013464:Sulfuric Acids; C033158:sulfuric acid
keywords: Sulphuric acid poisoning; accidental ingestion; illegal marketing; medico-legal