Postmortem Distribution of ametryn in the blood and organ tissues of an herbicide-poisoning victim

Abstract

We report a case of fatal intoxication caused by the ingestion of the herbicide Gesapax® (an emulsion type), which consists of 25% ametryn (ametryne, ametrin, ametrine, and ametrina), and 75% other components (xylene and cyclohexanone). A female in her 70's was found dead in her bed. Forensic autopsy revealed no remarkable injury or morphological changes. In a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) screening test, ametryn was qualitatively detected in her stomach content. Then, the other components of xylene and cyclohexanone were detected by headspace GC-MS in the stomach content. The amount of ametryn (μg/g) extract from each body fluid or organ tissue was determined by GC-MS as follows: 6.69 (heart blood), 3.50 (peripheral blood), 0.085 (urine), 17.2 (brain frontal lobe), 71.9 (right lung), 23.9 (liver), 19.1 (right kidney), and 74,200 (stomach contents). The other components, xylene and cyclohexanone, were also determined in the body fluids and organ tissues. These data strongly suggest that the female orally ingested the herbicide. From these toxicological data together with autopsy findings, the cause of her death was determined to be an acute herbicide poisoning.