Case report reveals fatal respiratory obstruction from ethyl chloride sniffing, indicating the dangers of inhalant abuse.
We report an accidental death due to the sniffing of ethyl chloride vapor using a spray for cleaning audio-video heads. An autopsy revealed edema and congestion of the lungs, profuse frothy fluid in the air passages and petechial hemorrhages beneath the conjunctivae, epicardium and pleural surfaces. By means of gas chromatography and gas chromatography mass-spectrometry, ethyl chloride was detected in the autopsy samples. The most probable cause of death was respiratory obstruction and suffocation caused by the relaxation of the tongue.
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