An Unexpected Death Related to Accidental Gasoline Inhalation

Gasoline is a volatile chemical substance, comprised of a mixture of toluene, xylene, benzene, and other aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Because of its volatile characteristics producing invisible vapors, occupational exposure due to inhalation while handling gasoline can be anticipated. Such exposure has been known to cause acute toxicity, manifesting as skin, eye and/or respiratory tract irritation, central nervous system depression, and cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, gasoline can be an asphyxiant if its volatile vapors displace sufficient amount of oxygen from the air [1,2]. These features suggest that deaths related to gasoline inhalation could occur in various situations. Given that gasoline is widely used in everyday life; however, it is Korean J Leg Med 2016;40:83-87 http://dx.doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2016.40.3.83