Fernández-López and colleagues applied a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method to detect carbamazepine in human bone in a forensic case. They removed surface soft tissue, dried and pulverized the bone, then extracted the resulting powder. Their identification criteria included retention time and the relative responses of characteristic ions. The paper also reports analytical checks for selectivity, carryover, recovery, precision, and other performance characteristics.
A laboratory can establish that a compound was detected in a particular bone extract and still have limited evidence about what the quantity means. A clinical serum threshold refers to the concentration in serum under a clinical interpretation framework. Applying that number to bone would require evidence about how concentrations relate across the two specimen types. The authors specifically describe a lack of established therapeutic, toxic, and lethal reference concentrations for bone.
Separate the evidence supporting chemical identification from the evidence supporting cause of death. For identification, examine the sampling site, preparation steps, chromatogram, qualifier ions, and controls. For interpretation, look for independent evidence such as an available blood result, documented treatment, and autopsy findings. The bone method expands what can be tested when conventional specimens are scarce. A single case leaves the relationship between bone concentration and systemic toxicity unresolved.