The Recovery of Latent Fingermarks from Evidence Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Michael Colella, Andrew Parkinson, Tegan Evans, Chris Lennard, Claude Roux

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Abstract: Continual reports of illicit trafficking incidents involving radioactive materials have prompted authorities to consider the likelihood of forensic evidence being exposed to radiation. In this study, we investigated the ability to recover latent fingermark evidence from a variety of substrates that were exposed to ionizing radiation. Fingermarks deposited on common surfaces, including aluminum, glass, office paper, and plastic, were exposed to doses ranging from 1 to 1000 kGy, in an effort to simulate realistic situations where evidence is exposed to significant doses of radiation from sources used in a criminal act. The fingermarks were processed using routine fingermark detection techniques. With the exception of glass and aluminum substrates, radiolysis had a considerable effect on the quality of the developed fingermarks. The damage to ridge characteristics can, in part, be attributed to chemical interactions between the substrate and the components of the fingermark secretions that react with the detection reagents.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)583-590
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Forensic Sciences
Volume54
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Recovery of Latent Fingermarks from Evidence Exposed to Ionizing Radiation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this