Prevalence of aluminum phosphide intoxication amongst victims of poisoning – forensic medicine and toxicology registry data

Abstract

Objectives: To study the prevalence of aluminum phosphide intoxication reported to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology De-partment. Material and Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted on the victims of aluminum phosphide poisoning out of the total autopsies conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, from January 2019 to December 2019. The cases were identified on the basis of postmortem findings, laboratory results and the police inquest report. SPSS 20.0 was used as a statistical tool for the study. Results: A total of 940 cases of poisoning were received, out of which 99 were of aluminum phosphide intoxication making a percentage of 10.5%. Amongst these 70 were females and 29 were males. The most commonly affected age group is 11-20 years among females and 21-30 years among males and intoxication was more common in rural than in urban areas. Conclusion: Aluminum phosphide (wheat pills) is one of the most commonly used substance for poisoning among young people. More prevalent in rural areas, due to easy availability with a maximum number of cases received in the month of December.