Analysis of the Distribution of Total Phosphine and the Characteristics of Phosphine Poisoning in 29 Victims / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the distribution of total phosphine in phosphine poisoning victims and summarize the characteristics of phosphine poisoning cases.@*METHODS@#The phosphine and its metabolites in the biological samples of 29 victims in 16 phosphine poisoning cases were qualified and quantified by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.@*RESULTS@#Five victims among 29 were poisoned by ingestion of aluminium phosphide and 24 by inhalation of phosphine gas. Phosphine metabolites were detected in the biological samples of 23 victims, and the concentrations of total phosphine in blood ranged 0.5-34.0 μg/mL. The total concentration of phosphine in liver tissue was up to 71.0 μg/g. Phosphine was not detected in the blood of the other six survived victims, which may be related to the small amount of phosphine exposure and the delay in blood sampling.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The total concentration of phosphine in blood and tissues caused by aluminum phosphine ingestion is higher than that caused by phosphine gas inhalation. The death cases of phosphine inhalation are characterized by long exposure time, repeated exposures and age susceptibility.

Validation of qualitative test for phosphine gas in human tissues.

Phosphine has been known to science since the birth of modern chemistry. WHO reports that the technical product usually has a foul odour, like "fishy" or "garlicky" because of the presence of substituted phosphines and diphosphine (P2H4). Many medico-legal autopsy cases have been reported positive for aluminium phosphide even though there was neither any suspicion of consuming aluminium phosphide nor any clinical findings, postmortem findings or circumstantial evidences. The present study was carried out to validate the qualitative test, presently applied in many laboratories for testing phosphine. It was observed that 65% of human tissues in saturated solution of common salt show positivity for phosphine gas on the first day of autopsy.

A study of aluminium phosphide poisoning with special reference to its spot diagnosis by silver nitrate test.

A total of 45 cases of Aluminium phosphide poisoning were studied from December 1989 to November 1990. Silver nitrate (AgNO3) test was positive in gastric aspirate in all cases (100%) who took fresh tablets and negative in those who took exposed tablets. The test was also positive in breath but had a lower sensitivity. Majority of patients revealed ECG abnormalities.