Pitfalls of toxicological investigations in hair, bones, and nails in extensively decomposed bodies: illustration with two cases

Water-related atmospheric agents and solubility: two parameters of validation in toxicological screening on clothing worn by skeletal remains

In forensic toxicology, when conventional matrices are no longer available, alternative matrices can be used to assess toxicological investigations. Clothes worn by skeletal remains may be a good unconventional matrix for toxicological analyses considering that they have absorbed decomposition fluids and blood from a body. We hypothesized a scenario in which a skeleton, wearing clothes, was discovered in an open environment. From this starting point, an experimental study was developed on different textiles (cotton, wool, and polyester) to evaluate whether water-related atmospheric agents and molecule solubility can largely influence the detection of molecules of toxicological interest on this specific matrix, together with the characteristics of different garments chosen. The experimental study was performed on blood spots, previously spiked with 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine, accurately placed on different textiles and washed with different quantities of deionized water adjusted at pH 5.6 with formic acid to simulate different rainfall conditions. Toxicological analyses were performed via Solid-Phase Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry analyses (Thermo Scientific™ TSQ Fortis™ II Triple-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer). From the experimental study morphine could not be detected on 100% cotton and 100% wool fabric after the passing of 500 mL of deionized water and in 100% synthetic polyester textile after washing with 250 mL of deionized water. In conclusion, when toxicological analyses are carried out on unconventional matrices as textiles worn by corpses exposed to different environmental conditions, it is of great importance, in using such substrates as evidence for the presence of molecules of toxicological interest, to evaluate chemical-physical characteristics of each analyte under investigation in order to correctly interpret the toxicological data obtained.