[Combined suicide by drinking acetic acid with subsequent hanging]

Three late emigrants of German origin from Russia (1 man, 2 women) drank 70- and 86% acetic acid respectively before hanging themselves. In one of the suicides the hanging noose was running across the face. None of the cases presented showed any perioral chemical burns. At autopsy an intense odor of acetic acid was noticeable. The mucosa of the upper digestive tract showed a whitish, grey, brown or black discoloration and was partially detached. In two cases intravascular clotting of blood was discernible in the area affected by the acid; in one case the vessels were imbibed with haemoglobin due to haemolysis. Highly concentrated acetic acid is generally available in the successor states of the former USSR and its use in suicides is thus not uncommon. The legal regulations applying in Germany to the sale of acetic acid and the toxicological data are briefly described.