This study is of autopsy data for potential validation as to whether increased weights of the lungs support toxic effects of drugs as the cause of death. This retrospective study compared data from 133 deaths resulting from the toxic effects of drugs with previously reported normal lung weights (Toxicol Mech Methods, 22, 2012, 159; Am J Forensic Med Pathol 33, 2012, 368). The lung weights and their standard errors were used in a two-sample independent t-test comparing the average drug-related death weight to the average control weights. To account for multiple comparisons, a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha level of 0.0125 was used. We are 98.75% confident that the mean right lung weight for female drug-related deaths is between 227 and 377 g greater than the mean right lung weight for female non-drug-related deaths. We are 98.75% confident that the mean right lung weight for male drug-related deaths is between 245 and 378 g greater than the mean right lung weight for male non-drug-related deaths.
Keywords: adult; autopsy methods; cause of death; drug-related fatalities; forensic pathology; forensic science; forensic toxicology; lung; lung weights; opioid; organ weights.
© 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.