Scientific article
Case report
English

Gas analysis of exhumed cadavers buried for 30 years: a case report about long time alteration

Published inInternational Journal of Legal Medicine, vol. 128, no. 4, p. 719-724
Publication date2014
Abstract

Due to important alteration caused by long time decomposition, the gases in human bodies buried for more than a year have not been investigated. For the first time, the results of gas analysis sampled from bodies recently exhumed after 30 years are presented. Adipocere formation has prevented the bodies from too important alteration, and gaseous areas were identified. The sampling was performed with airtight syringes assisted by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) in those specific areas. The important amount of methane (CH4), coupled to weak amounts of hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), usual gaseous alteration indicators, have permitted to confirm methanogenesis mechanism for long period of alteration. H2 and CO2 produced during the first stages of the alteration process were consumed through anaerobic oxidation by methanogenic bacteria, generating CH4.

Keywords
  • Burial
  • Carbon Dioxide/analysis
  • Exhumation
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Gases/analysis
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen/analysis
  • Methane/analysis
  • Multidetector Computed Tomography
  • Nitrogen/analysis
  • Oxygen/analysis
  • Postmortem Changes
  • Time Factors
Citation (ISO format)
VARLET, Vincent et al. Gas analysis of exhumed cadavers buried for 30 years: a case report about long time alteration. In: International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2014, vol. 128, n° 4, p. 719–724. doi: 10.1007/s00414-014-0998-9
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Article (Published version)
accessLevelRestricted
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0937-9827
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