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A fatal forensic intoxication with fenarimol: analysis by HPLC/DAD/MSD
P Proença1, E Pinho Marques, H Teixeira
1National Institute of Legal Medicine-Delegation of Coimbra, Largo da Sé Nova, 3000-213 Coimbra, Portugal. paulaproenca@dcinml.mj.pt
Forensic Science International
|May 14, 2003
Summary
This study reports a fatal case of fenarimol (Rubigan) intoxication, analyzing its concentration in biological samples. The case highlights the need for further research into toxic and lethal levels of this systemic fungicide.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Toxicology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Fenarimol (Rubigan) is a systemic fungicide inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis.
- Intoxication cases require accurate analytical methods for quantification.
Observation:
- A fatal fenarimol intoxication case was analyzed.
- Two High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) techniques (DAD and DAD-MSD) were compared for fenarimol detection.
- Solid-phase extraction was used for sample preparation.
Findings:
- The HPLC-DAD-MSD method demonstrated good selectivity and sensitivity.
- Fenarimol concentrations were 89.0 mg/ml in gastric contents, 1.9 mg/g in liver, and 0.4 mg/g in kidney.
- No prior data on fenarimol self-poisoning levels were found for comparison.
Implications:
- Establishes analytical methods for fenarimol quantification in forensic toxicology.
- Highlights the lack of established toxicological reference values for fenarimol self-poisoning.
- Underscores the importance of method validation in forensic analysis.