Abstract
From 1971 through 1980, 1115 deaths were ascribed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office to poisoning of some type. An analysis of these deaths, with emphasis on the substances involved, is the purpose of this study. Relatively few agents or groups of agents accounted for 87% of these deaths: carbon monoxide, barbiturates, propoxyphene, narcotics, tricyclic antidepressants, ethyl alcohol, and inhalants (gases and solvents). Twenty-five percent of the deaths were classified as mixed intoxications, resulting from combinations of agents. Two major trends were observed: in the second five-year period, barbiturate-induced deaths decreased considerably (58%) and deaths from tricyclic antidepressants increased more than four times as compared with the first five-year period. Yearly statistics have been compiled for deaths from each agent.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
References
1.
Petty
, C. S.
and DiMaio
, V. J. M.
, “The Medical Community and the Medical Examiner
,” The Dallas Medical Journal
, Vol. 65
, Nov.–Dec. 1979, pp. 288
–294
.2.
Finkle
, B. S.
, “Ubiquitous Reds: A Local Perspective on Secobarbital Abuse
,” Forensic Science Gazette
, Vol. 2
, No. 2
, 1971
, pp. 1
–5
.3.
Lundberg
, G. D.
, “Barbiturates: A Great American Problem
,” Journal of the American Medical Association
0098-7484, Vol. 224
, No. 11
, 1973
, p. 1531.4.
Garriott
, J. C.
, Sturner
, W. Q.
, and Mason
, M. F.
, “Toxicologic Findings in Six Fatalities Involving Methadone
,” Clinical Toxicology
, Vol. 9
, No. 2
, 1973
, pp. 163
–173
.5.
Baselt
, R. C.
, Allison
, D. J.
, Wright
, J. S.
, Scrannell
, J. R.
, and Stephens
, B. G.
, “Acute Heroin Fatalities in San Francisco
,” The Western Journal of Medicine
, Vol. 122
, 1975
, pp. 455
–458
.6.
Garriott
, J. C.
and Sturner
, W. Q.
2, “Morphine Concentrations and Survival Periods in Acute Heroin Fatalities
,” New England Journal of Medicine
0028-4793, Vol. 289
, 1973
, pp. 1276
–1278
.7.
Drug Abuse Warning Network, DAWN. Statistical Series G.
, National Institute on Drug Abuse
, Washington, DC
, 1979
.8.
Sturner
, W. Q.
and Garriott
, J. C.
, “Deaths Involving Propoxyphene: A Study of Forty-One Cases in a Two-Year Period
,” Journal of the American Medical Association
0098-7484, Vol. 223
, 1973
, pp. 1125
–1130
.9.
Finkle
, B. S.
, McCloskey
, K. L.
, Kiplinger
, G. F.
, and Bennett
, I. F.
, “A National Assessment of Propoxyphene in Postmortem Medicolegal Investigation, 1972–1975
,” Journal of Forensic Sciences
, Vol. 21
, No. 4
, 10
1976
, pp. 706
–742
.10.
Finkle
, B. S.
, Caplan
, Y. H.
, Garriott
, J. C.
, Monforte
, J. R.
, Shaw
, R. F.
, and Sonsalla
, P. K.
, “Propoxyphene in Postmortem Toxicology 1976–1978
,” Journal of Forensic Sciences
, Vol. 26
, No. 4
, 10
1981
, pp. 739
–757
.11.
Garriott
, J. C.
and Petty
, C. S.
, “Death From Inhalant Abuse: Toxicological and Pathological Evaluation of Thirty-four Cases
,” Clinical Toxicology
, Vol. 16
, No. 4
, 1980
, pp. 305
–315
.12.
Bass
, M.
, “Sudden Sniffing Death
,” Journal of the American Medical Association
0098-7484, Vol. 212
, 1970
, pp. 2075
–2079
.13.
Aviado
, D. M.
, “Preclinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of Halogenated Solvents and Propellants
,” in Review of Inhalants: Euphoria to Dysfunction
, Research Monograph 15, National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare
, Washington, DC
, 1977
, pp. 164
–184
.14.
Garriott
, J. C.
, Foerster
, E.
, Juarez
, L.
, DeLaGarza
, F.
, Mendiola
, I.
, and Curoe
, J.
, “Measurement of Toluene in Blood and Breath in Cases of Toluene Abuse
,” Clinical Toxicology
, Vol. 18
, No. 4
, 1981
, pp. 471
–479
.15.
Foerster
, E.
and Garriott
, J. C.
, “Analysis for Volatile Compounds in Biological Samples
,” Journal of Analytical Toxicology
, Vol. 5
, Sept./Oct. 1981, pp. 241
–244
.16.
DiMaio
, V. J. M.
and Garriott
, J. C.
, “A Fatal Case of Lead Poisoning Due to a Retained Bullet
,” Veterinary and Human Toxicology
, Vol. 22
, No. 6
, 1980
, pp. 390
–391
.17.
Finkle
, B. S.
, McCloskey
, K. L.
, and Goodman
, L. S.
, “Diazepam and Drug-Associated Deaths
,” Journal of the American Medical Association
0098-7484, Vol. 242
, No. 5
, 1979
, pp. 429
–434
.
This content is only available via PDF.
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, in any printed, mechanical, electronic, film, or other distribution and storage media, without the written consent of ASTM International.
You do not currently have access to this content.
