FIREARMS DISCHARGE RESIDUE SAMPLE COLLECTION TECHNIQUES

• NCJ Number: 29839
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1975) Pages: 701-707
• Author(s): J A GOLEB; C R MIDKIFF
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc for Testing and Materials
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

CRITICAL COMPARISONS OF BARIUM AND ANTIMONY IN FIREARMS DISCHARGE RESIDUE WERE MADE ON HANDLIFT SAMPLES COLLECTED BY THREE INDEPENDENT COLLECTION TECHNIQUES.

Abstract

COLLECTION MATERIALS STUDIED WERE TRANSPARENT ADHESIVE TAPE, (SCOTCH BRAND), A SOLUTION OF CELLULOSE ACETATE IN ACETONE ('FILM LIFT'), AND PLASTIC-SHAFTED COTTON SWABS WETTED WITH DILUTE NITRIC ACID. FLAMELESS ATOMIC ABSORPTION ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED WITH A JARRELL-ASH MODEL 810 INSTRUMENT EQUIPPED WITH A TANTALUM STRIP ATOMIZER. TAPE AND COTTON SWABS GAVE COMPARABLE POSITIVE INDICATIONS OF RESIDUE, WITH FREQUENCIES OF 90 AND 80 PERCENT, RESPECTIVELY. THE PLASTIC FILM LIFT GAVE FEWER POSITIVES, WITH A FREQUENCY OF 50 PERCENT. WITH THE TRANSPARENT TAPE LIFT, GUNSHOT RESIDUE PARTICLES ARE DISCERNIBLE, MAKING NONDESTRUCTIVE MICROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION POSSIBLE PRIOR TO DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)