Developing a method for the collection and analysis of burnt remains for the detection and identification of ignitable liquid residues using body bags, dynamic headspace sampling, and TD-GC×GC-TOFMS

Nizio, KD; Forbes, SL

Developing a method for the collection and analysis of burnt remains for the detection and identification of ignitable liquid residues using body bags, dynamic headspace sampling, and TD-GC×GC-TOFMS

Nizio, KD

Forbes, SL

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Separations, 2018, 5 (2)
Issue Date:: 2018-06-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nizio, KD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1486-1894	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Forbes, SL https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7416-0080	en_US
dc.date.issued	2018-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Separations, 2018, 5 (2)	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/132545
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. In cases of suspected arson, a body may be intentionally burnt to cause loss of life, dispose of remains, or conceal identification. A primary focus of a fire investigation, particularly involving human remains, is to establish the cause of the fire; this often includes the forensic analysis of fire debris for the detection of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs). Commercial containers for the collection of fire debris evidence include metal cans, glass jars, and polymer/nylon bags of limited size. This presents a complication in cases where the fire debris consists of an intact, or partially intact, human cadaver. This study proposed the use of a body bag as an alternative sampling container. A method was developed and tested for the collection and analysis of ILRs from burnt porcine remains contained within a body bag using dynamic headspace sampling (using an Easy-VOC™ hand-held manually operated grab-sampler and stainless steel sorbent tubes containing Tenax TA) followed by thermal desorption comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC×GC-TOFMS). The results demonstrated that a body bag containing remains burnt with gasoline tested positive for the presence of gasoline, while blank body bag controls and a body bag containing remains burnt without gasoline tested negative. The proposed method permits the collection of headspace samples from burnt remains before the remains are removed from the crime scene, limiting the potential for contamination and the loss of volatiles during transit and storage.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Separations	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/separations5030046	en_US
dc.title	Developing a method for the collection and analysis of burnt remains for the detection and identification of ignitable liquid residues using body bags, dynamic headspace sampling, and TD-GC×GC-TOFMS	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.for	039902 Forensic Chemistry	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CFS - Centre for Forensic Science
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	5	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. In cases of suspected arson, a body may be intentionally burnt to cause loss of life, dispose of remains, or conceal identification. A primary focus of a fire investigation, particularly involving human remains, is to establish the cause of the fire; this often includes the forensic analysis of fire debris for the detection of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs). Commercial containers for the collection of fire debris evidence include metal cans, glass jars, and polymer/nylon bags of limited size. This presents a complication in cases where the fire debris consists of an intact, or partially intact, human cadaver. This study proposed the use of a body bag as an alternative sampling container. A method was developed and tested for the collection and analysis of ILRs from burnt porcine remains contained within a body bag using dynamic headspace sampling (using an Easy-VOC™ hand-held manually operated grab-sampler and stainless steel sorbent tubes containing Tenax TA) followed by thermal desorption comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC×GC-TOFMS). The results demonstrated that a body bag containing remains burnt with gasoline tested positive for the presence of gasoline, while blank body bag controls and a body bag containing remains burnt without gasoline tested negative. The proposed method permits the collection of headspace samples from burnt remains before the remains are removed from the crime scene, limiting the potential for contamination and the loss of volatiles during transit and storage.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/132545