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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
Recent documents dating: an approach using radiocarbon techniques
D Zavattaro1, G Quarta, M D'Elia
1Raggruppamento Carabinieri Investigazioni Scientifiche, Roma, Italy. zavattarod@yahoo.it
Abstract:
The possibility to develop an absolute technique, independent from the paper conservation conditions, to date recent paper documents (i.e. less than 50 years old) for forensics purposes is discussed. We suggest the possibility to use the curve representing the strong increase in the atmospheric radiocarbon concentration induced in the last 50 years by nuclear weapons tests as reference to date paper documents, with a resolution down to a few months. The results obtained in the analysis of two known age documents are presented together with a first order mathematical model developed in order to take into account the contributions of the different tree rings employed in the paper production.
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