Question:
Which poison can be detected in the skeleton even after the body has undergone emaciation or has been burnt for a long time?
Which poison can be detected in the skeleton even after the body has undergone emaciation or has been burnt for a long time?
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This metalloid lodges in hair, nails and bone and survives cremation.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Mercury
- Cadmium
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Answer: Arsenic.
Step 1: Arsenic has a strong affinity for keratin-rich and mineralised tissues, so it is deposited and stored in hair, nails and bones.
Step 2: Because arsenic stays bound in the skeleton, it can be recovered and detected even when soft tissues have wasted away (emaciation) or even after the body has been burnt or skeletonised. This is a classic forensic point for exhumed or charred remains.
Step 3: Lead also deposits in bone but the question's specific teaching point (detection in bones even after burning/conflagration) is the well-known arsenic fact in forensic texts. Mercury and cadmium concentrate mainly in the kidney and soft tissues, so they are not reliably found in burnt skeletons.
Hence arsenic is the answer.
Ref: Reddy, The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.
Step 1: Arsenic has a strong affinity for keratin-rich and mineralised tissues, so it is deposited and stored in hair, nails and bones.
Step 2: Because arsenic stays bound in the skeleton, it can be recovered and detected even when soft tissues have wasted away (emaciation) or even after the body has been burnt or skeletonised. This is a classic forensic point for exhumed or charred remains.
Step 3: Lead also deposits in bone but the question's specific teaching point (detection in bones even after burning/conflagration) is the well-known arsenic fact in forensic texts. Mercury and cadmium concentrate mainly in the kidney and soft tissues, so they are not reliably found in burnt skeletons.
Hence arsenic is the answer.
Ref: Reddy, The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.
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