Table 1 Characteristic properties to distinguish between ante-mortem (true) drowning and post-mortem (false) drowning (Pérez-Burillo et al. 2021; Hamsher et al. 2011; Bailet et al. 2020)
From: A comprehensive review of forensic diatomology: contemporary developments and future trajectories
Characteristic properties | Ante-mortem drowning | Post-mortem drowning |
|---|---|---|
Definition | *Drowning while conscious | *Drowning after death |
Cause of deaths | Suicidal or accidental | Homicidal |
Incidents from all drowning cases* | 80% | 20% |
Lungs | Tears in alveoli may be observed | No tears in the alveoli |
Diatom test | Positive, except in the case of dry drowning** | Negative, except if water enters the lungs by passive absorption |
Diatom presence in the lungs | 20 diatom frustules per 100 ml of the residue obtained by enzymatic digestion from 10 g of lung tissue more than 5 diatom frustules | Absent or fewer |
Diatom presence in another internal organ | Per 10 g of sediment from other internal organs | Absent |