Haematic silicon in drowning.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Environmental Chemistry
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Drowning diagnosis relies on various methods, but chemical markers in blood are continuously explored.
• Silicon (Si) in drowning media presents a potential avenue for developing new diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate silicon concentration in human whole ventricular blood as a potential chemical marker for drowning diagnosis.
• To investigate the utility of silicon difference between left and right ventricular blood (Si ΔL-R) in differentiating drowning cases.

Main Methods:

• Acidic and alkaline digestion methods were used to extract and determine soluble and total silicon in blood.
• Analysis was performed on 29 suspected drowning cases (24 fresh water, 5 seawater).
• Silicon difference between left and right ventricular blood (Si ΔL-R) was measured.

Main Results:

• Alkaline Si ΔL-R showed potential as a complementary tool for fresh water drowning diagnosis.
• The insoluble silicon fraction's stability against hemo-dilution/concentration supports its reliability.
• A good correlation was observed between silicon analysis results and autoptic findings.

Conclusions:

• Silicon concentration in ventricular blood, particularly the alkaline Si ΔL-R, may serve as a valuable complementary marker in forensic drowning investigations.
• The method shows promise for aiding in the diagnosis of fresh water drowning.
• Further investigation with a larger case number is warranted to solidify these findings.