Abstract:
The natural occurrence of 16 inorganic ions relevant to forensic explosives investigations on human hands was studied to support the evaluation of activity-level propositions when such traces are found on the hands or in the fingerprints of a suspect. A total of 594 hand swab extracts from 297 participants throughout Europe and the United States of America were analyzed using Ion Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. The data provides a reference framework for future covert investigations and forensic casework. The results indicate that thiocyanate, chlorate, nitrite, lithium, strontium, and barium are rarely detected on the hands of individuals who have had no direct contact with explosives (P<0.03) and in quantities below 6 µg. Perchlorate contamination sporadically occurs without deliberately handling perchlorates (P=0.03), albeit at low levels (<12 µg). It also seems that the presence of perchlorate on hands is generally related to professions that involve explosives. Detecting substantial amounts of any of these rare ions on a suspect\'s hands would require a specific explanation. Because legitimate activities exist that can also result in elevated levels of ions of interest on hands, the context surrounding their presence has to be carefully assessed for each individual case.
摘要:
研究了与法医爆炸物调查相关的16种无机离子在人手上的自然存在,以支持在嫌疑人的手上或指纹中发现此类痕迹时对活动水平命题的评估。使用离子色谱法-质谱法分析了来自整个欧洲和美国的297名参与者的总共594个手拭子提取物。这些数据为未来的秘密调查和法医案例工作提供了参考框架。结果表明,硫氰酸盐,氯酸盐,亚硝酸盐,锂,锶,和钡很少在没有与爆炸物直接接触的人的手上检测到(P<0.03),并且数量低于6µg。偶尔发生高氯酸盐污染,没有故意处理高氯酸盐(P=0.03),尽管处于低水平(<12µg)。似乎手上高氯酸盐的存在通常与涉及爆炸物的职业有关。要在嫌疑犯的手上检测出大量的这些稀有离子,就需要一个具体的解释。因为存在合法活动,也可能导致手上感兴趣的离子水平升高,围绕他们存在的背景必须仔细评估每个个案。