[Natural gas in forensic medicine]

In the experiment in rats the effect of earth gas on the living organism was followed. In comparison with nitrogen representing the largest portion of atmospheric gases, the earth gas did not manifest an increased toxicity. The results of the experiment were compared with case reports from practice, where the persons and died in connection with using the earth gas, most frequently due to the carbon monoxide content of insufficiently combusted gas. In some cases the detected relatively low levels of COHb in blood indicate that in addition to the carbon monoxide poisoning the suffocation was also caused by lack of oxygen. The authors refer to the possibility of methane demonstration in blood, indicating the exposure of persons to the environment containing the earth gas.