Paraquat dichloride detection from forensic blowfly samples
Accidental ingestion of paraquat dichloride contributed for a high number of pesticide-related deaths. It is a major suicide agent in many developing countries because of its easy accessibility. Based on the escalated death events related to misuse of paraquat, a study was conducted to observe its...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2015
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8720/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8720/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/8720/1/44_1_22.pdf |
| Summary: | Accidental ingestion of paraquat dichloride contributed for a high number of pesticide-related deaths. It is a major suicide
agent in many developing countries because of its easy accessibility. Based on the escalated death events related to misuse of
paraquat, a study was conducted to observe its effect on decomposition process of New Zealand white rabbits, hence, biological
and entomological samples were obtained for analysis. Entomological samples especially blowflies which are the main processor
of dead remains applied in forensic investigations to obtain time and cause of death. In this research, high performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC) was introduced in toxicological analysis to determine the presence of paraquat dichloride from
biological specimens, and exploring the potential of blowfly samples as an alternate sample when biological specimen had
decomposed. Paraquat dichloride was extracted using C18 solid phase extraction (SPE) to retain the interferences. Mobile
phases used were acidified water (pH 3) and acetonitrile with ratio of 85:15. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation
(LOQ) were 0.03 mg/L and 0.09 mg/L, respectively with a linear curve (R2 = 0.9982). From the analysis, concentration of
paraquat dichloride found out to be the highest in liver as well as in the third instar of blowfly larvae. The isolation and
analytical method proposed in this present study were able to be applied in detection of paraquat dichloride in post-mortem
specimens. In conclusion, blowfly samples were suitable to be applied in forensic toxicological analysis to replace decomposed
biological samples. |
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