Ammonia Exposure: A Review of Six Cases

Exposure to high doses of ammonia gas can result in lethal injuries to humans. This case series presents 5 fatalities and an injured individual, caused by acute ammonia exposure, which occurred in the rubber industry. One of the fatalities and the survivor were reported in an incident of ammonia gas cylinder explosion, whereas the other 4 fatalities were accidentally exposed to gaseous ammonia, where they had started working at a reopened rubber factory that had been abandoned for a long time. Autopsy, scene investigation, and the toxicological findings of the deceased and the clinical forensic examination of the survivor revealed corrosive burns on the skin and the oropharynx, diffuse alveolar damage, and high level of ammonia in blood and the scene. These cases highlight how the comprehensive death investigation helps the forensic practitioner to conclude ammonia exposure as the cause of death/injury where there is a possibility of gas inhalation.