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6157745 
Book/Book Chapter 
9 - Embalming Artifacts 
Rohrig, TP 
2019 
Academic Press 
Postmortem Toxicology 
123-139 
In a perfect medical examiner/coroner world, every decedent that requires an autopsy would be received shortly after death and unembalmed. However, there are instances where the decedent has already been embalmed, interred and there may be a need for the decedent to be exhumed and autopsied, such as the death investigation may be incomplete and/or suspicions of foul play, with allegations of poisoning. A significant question that may arise prior to an exhumation being ordered, if the issue is a potential poisoning: “Will drugs be detected after embalming and burial?” If the answer is no, the courts may be inclined not to disturb the sanctity of the grave. Embalming is a process in which various chemicals are used to retard the decomposition and restore the body for an acceptable presentation for viewing. Embalming fluids contain a wide variety of chemicals; the major component being a “preserving fluid.” There are four major types of preservatives in embalming fluids. They contain a variety of aldehydes, alcohols, phenols, and formaldehyde donor compounds. Formaldehyde is the most widely used preservative chemical. Embalming itself should not preclude the ability to perform a toxicological examination of the decedent. However, the embalming process can create some challenges in the toxicological analyses and/or interpretation for the results. One would generally think that any process that adds solutions to a sample may cause a dilutional effect, thus lowering the measured concentration. Furthermore, the addition of embalming fluid, which is organic in nature, may lower the recovery (extractability) and/or chemically react with the target compound, both of which could potentially lower the measured concentration of the drug in question. There may also be chemical interferences from embalming fluid components and/or the addition of a target analyte. 
Embalming; Eschweiler–Clarke reaction; formaldehyde; formalin-fixed tissues; histology specimens; -methyl derivatives 
Rohrig, Timothy P.