In Vitro Absorption of Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide in Undisturbed Pooled Blood

Details

• Creators:
  Thoren, Tiffany M. ; Thompson, Kristi S. ; Cardona, Patrick S. ; Chaturvedi, Arvind K. ; Canfield, Dennis V.
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Central Oklahoma ; Cherokee Nation Distributors ; Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Office of Aerospace Medicine
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Forensic medicine
  • Medicine
  • Toxicology
  • Pharmacology
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Aviation medicine
  • Aviation safety
  • Air transportation crashes
  • Crashes
  • Crash investigation
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• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FAA/AM-12/13
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final report.
• Corporate Publisher:
  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
• Abstract:
  Biological samples from victims of aircraft accidents are analyzed for carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and cyanide ion ; (CN¯) in blood. Such victims quite often suffer large open wounds near the autopsy blood collection sites. Many ; aircraft crashes result in fires that fill the victim’s atmosphere with smoke rich in carbon monoxide (CO) and ; hydrogen cyanide (HCN). It is important to determine whether pooled blood in those open wounds may have ; absorbed CO and HCN after death, which could lead one to erroneously conclude that the presence of COHb and ; CN¯ in blood was the result of breathing in these combustion gases. A chamber was designed from a laboratory ; desiccator to establish whether CO and HCN may be absorbed in undisturbed, pooled whole human blood. A ; magnetic stirring bar was placed at the bottom of the chamber to facilitate air movement. A ceramic plate with ; concentric rows of holes was above the stirring bar to support a shallow open dish containing 4 mL of heparinized ; blood. Gas syringes (100-cc) were used to evacuate air from and add pure CO into the chamber. The chamber ; volume was 9038 cc. The blood was exposed to three concentrations of CO each for two different periods of time. ; For HCN exposures, an extra dish containing a 5-mL beaker, which contained sodium cyanide (NaCN), was used. ; Four mL of heparin-treated blood was used in the second dish. One mL of concentrated sulfuric acid was added to ; the beaker containing NaCN through the lid opening. The volume of the HCN chamber was 8981 cc. Blood COHb ; and CN¯ concentrations were determined spectrophotometrically. COHb levels of 4.3-11.0% were detected in blood ; after its exposure to CO at 5532, 8298, 11064, 22129, and 33193 ppm for 30- and 60-min. CN¯ concentrations ; (1.43-5.01μg/mL) in blood increased with exposure to HCN at 100 and 200 ppm each at 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. ; Increases in the COHb levels observed in these experiments do not exclude the possibility for higher levels of COHb ; in blood exposed to highly CO-rich atmospheres from actual fires. It was clearly evident that there is a strong ; potential for CN¯ levels to increase by the absorption of atmospheric HCN. This selective absorption is consistent ; with the insolubility of CO and solubility of HCN in water. Thus, postmortem COHb and CN¯ levels should be ; carefully interpreted.
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• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/24985/dot_24985_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 436.83 KB]
• Collection(s):
  FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:e2fdd04639acc184943bdac3c2a74c0eea44973c035219d3d91906f6ce8b8cfc