Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, ISSN 0146-4760, Volume 30, Issue 7, September 2006, pp.449-453

CASE REPORT: An Unusual Case of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Using Aromatic Solvents
María A. Martínez[1], and Salomé Ballesteros[2]
[1]Chemistry Department and
[2]Spanish Poison Control Center, National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, C/Luis Cabrera 9, 28002 Madrid, Spain

This report documents a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) under the influence of solvents. The victim was a 13-year-old female. Upon contact with law enforcement, she was still confused and could hardly explain the facts. She told authorities that she had been kidnapped 4 h previously when two individuals with covered faces put a cloth soaked in a solvent over her mouth. She spent a few hours in a room, during which she lost consciousness. The girl awakened semi-nude in the street with memory loss. No alcohol was present in the subject’s body; no odor of alcohol was detected on the subject’s breath. No lesions were observed during a gynecological exam. A blood sample was taken with the intent to investigate the use of chloroform or similar anesthetics. Toxicological analysis of the victim’s blood revealed the presence of 7.6 mg/L of benzene, 24.8 mg/L of toluene, and 0.6 mg/L of xylene (mixture of isomers). As for other analytical findings, diazepam (0.02 mg/L) was also found. The aromatic solvents involved in this case were detected using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC–FID) and confirmed using GC–mass spectrometry (MS) in full scan mode after liquid–liquid extraction of the whole blood sample. Quantitation of the aromatic solvents was carried out using GC–FID. Diazepam was detected using GC with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD) and confirmed using GC–MS with full scan mode after solid-phase extraction of the whole blood sample using Bond-Elut Certify columns. Quantitation of diazepam was carried out using GC–NPD. No other drugs, including ethanol, were detected. Recoveries for benzene, toluene, and xylene (mixture of isomers) in whole blood at 5 mg/L were 89.2%, 90.8%, and 93.4%, respectively. Intraday precisions were 5.3%, 5.0%, and 4.9%, respectively, and interday precisions were 12.1%, 11.6%, and 11.5%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 30 and 100 µg/L, respectively. The linearity of the blood calibration curves was excellent with r2 values of > 0.999 (range 0.1–10 mg/L). Recovery for diazepam in whole blood at 0.5 mg/L was 88.2% with intraday and interday precisions of 2.0% and 10.8%, respectively. The LOD and LOQ were 6 and 20 µg/L, respectively. The linearity of the blood calibration curve was excellent with r2 values of > 0.999 (range 0.1–2 mg/L). We want to alert other toxicologists about new or unexpected products that should be taken into account when the surreptitious use of substances in DFSA is suspected.

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