Ante- and post-mortem human volatiles for disaster search and rescue

Thurn, B; Deo, A; Patel, D; Sunnucks, E; Forbes, S; Stuart, BH; Su, S; Ueland, M

Ante- and post-mortem human volatiles for disaster search and rescue

Thurn, B Deo, A Patel, D Sunnucks, E

Forbes, S Stuart, BH Su, S

Ueland, M

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Forensic Chemistry, 2024, 40
Issue Date:: 2024-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Thurn, B
dc.contributor.author	Deo, A
dc.contributor.author	Patel, D
dc.contributor.author	Sunnucks, E https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3326-854X
dc.contributor.author	Forbes, S
dc.contributor.author	Stuart, BH
dc.contributor.author	Su, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5720-8852
dc.contributor.author	Ueland, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9155-3502
dc.date.accessioned	2024-11-22T02:18:03Z
dc.date.available	2024-11-22T02:18:03Z
dc.date.issued	2024-09-01
dc.identifier.citation	Forensic Chemistry, 2024, 40
dc.identifier.issn	2468-1709
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182050
dc.description.abstract	Ante-mortem metabolic processes are responsible for the release of volatile organic compounds, which form the primary component of human scent and are used by search-and-rescue canines in victim location efforts. Similarly, the post-mortem processes of autolysis and putrefaction produce malodourous compounds that cadaver detection dogs use to locate human remains. This review examines literature on ante-mortem and post-mortem volatiles, with a focus on studies from 2010 onwards. A total of 973 different compounds were reported over this period, from the live matrices blood (65), breath (124), fingernails (17), hair (24), saliva (343), skin (385), sweat (37), urine (80), the whole body (86), and unspecified sources (31), and during early decomposition (321), middle decomposition (49), late decomposition (102), and an unspecified timeframe (113). There are notably more studies examining the matrices from living volunteers than decedents, and methods vary significantly between studies on living and deceased individuals in sampling methodology and analytical instrumentation. To establish a profile that accurately reflects the whole human volatilome, the standardisation of methodology and further research are required. Determining the complete human odour profile will assist in victim location where living and deceased individuals are commingled (e.g. disaster sites), and will inform future technologies to aid in accelerating search-and-rescue operations.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LE150100015
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE210100494
dc.relation.ispartof	Forensic Chemistry
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.forc.2024.100596
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0399 Other Chemical Sciences
dc.subject.classification	3401 Analytical chemistry
dc.subject.classification	3406 Physical chemistry
dc.subject.classification	3499 Other chemical sciences
dc.title	Ante- and post-mortem human volatiles for disaster search and rescue
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	40
utslib.for	0399 Other Chemical Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
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/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Electrical and Data Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Health Technologies (CHT)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Forensic Science (CFS)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2024-11-22T02:18:01Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	40

Abstract:

Ante-mortem metabolic processes are responsible for the release of volatile organic compounds, which form the primary component of human scent and are used by search-and-rescue canines in victim location efforts. Similarly, the post-mortem processes of autolysis and putrefaction produce malodourous compounds that cadaver detection dogs use to locate human remains. This review examines literature on ante-mortem and post-mortem volatiles, with a focus on studies from 2010 onwards. A total of 973 different compounds were reported over this period, from the live matrices blood (65), breath (124), fingernails (17), hair (24), saliva (343), skin (385), sweat (37), urine (80), the whole body (86), and unspecified sources (31), and during early decomposition (321), middle decomposition (49), late decomposition (102), and an unspecified timeframe (113). There are notably more studies examining the matrices from living volunteers than decedents, and methods vary significantly between studies on living and deceased individuals in sampling methodology and analytical instrumentation. To establish a profile that accurately reflects the whole human volatilome, the standardisation of methodology and further research are required. Determining the complete human odour profile will assist in victim location where living and deceased individuals are commingled (e.g. disaster sites), and will inform future technologies to aid in accelerating search-and-rescue operations.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182050