Abstract
Rats were drowned and kept immersed for 1 month in either boiled city water, or boiled or unboiled fresh water collected from a river. A small amount of carbon monoxide (CO) formed after death and a low carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) saturation was found in blood and thoracic cavity fluid of the animals immersed in boiled city water and in boiled fresh water. A considerable amount of Co and a high HbCO saturation was observed in blood and thoracic cavity fluid in two out of three rats immersed in unboiled fresh water at 4–6°C, and in one out of three at 6–16°C. It is suggested that microorganisms in the water, in which the rats were drowned and kept immersed, and low temperatures of around 5°C during storage, played an important role in the postmortem formation of carbon monoxide.
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